BX  9225  .B56  B3  1870 
Baldridge,  S.  C.  1829-1898. 
Sketches  of  the  life  and 
times  of  the  Rev.  Stephen 


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EEV.  SAMUEL  C.  BALDRIDGE. 


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CINCINNATI  : 

Elm  Strekt  Printing  Company,  176  and  178  Elm  Street. 
1871. 


SKETCHES 

OF  THE 

LIFE    AND    TIMES 

OF  THE 

RBY.  STEPI1(E)N[  BLISS,  iV_.  \. 

WITH 

NOTICES  OF  HIS  CO-LABOREES: 

JS^F.  ISAAC  BENNET, 
REV.  B.  F.  SPIL3IAN, 
REV.  JOHN  SILL IM AN, 
REV.  JOSEPH  BUTLER, 
REV.  SAMUEL  T.  SCOTT,  Etc. 

BY 

SJE^r.  s  MUEz  c.  sazdhidgs. 


CINCINNATI: 
Elm  Street  Feinting  Company,  176  &  178  Elm  Stbeet. 

1870. 


®o  tlje  iilinistere  anh  (Iil)urcl)e6 

OF   THE 

SYNOD    OF    SOUTHEKN    ILLINOIS^ 
THIS    CONTRIBUTION 

TO  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  FATHERS  AND  FOUNDERS 

OF 

PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

IS 

mevcrcnt(i)  Bcc)icaic(). 

6£w  \iov(xi  6o^a. 


ApatcrgeHcal    FrefacCx 


HIS  little  book  owes  its  origin  to  the  fact,  that  when  the 
author  was  assigned  to  his  place  of  service  by  the  "  Lord 
of  the  vineyard,"  he  found  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  an- 
cient seats  of  Presbyterianism  in  Illinois.  As  his  life 
settled  down  to  the  pastoral  work,  and  the  noise  and  flutter  of 
his  intrusion  died  away,  and  the  quiet  voices  of  the  place  began 
to  make  themselves  heard,  he  found  himself  haunted  with  stories 
and  legends  of  a  long-gone  past.  The  good  and  gifted  had 
lived  their  quiet  and  useful  lives  here.  Of  course,  in  such  a 
region  the  table  and  tireside  talk  of  the  parishioners  was  filled 
with  the  airs  and  floating  echos  from  days  and  scenes  gone  by. 
All  the  interest,  however,  seemed  to  concenter  and  inter- 
mingle with  one  life  that  had  been  enacted  here.  Is  it  won- 
derful that  in  such  a  field,  he  should  have  finally  been  beguiled 
to  writing  out  the  simple  annals  of  the  place  ? 

The  material  for  these  pages  has  been  derived,  for  the  most 
part,  from  three  sources. 

Ist.  The  Diaries  of  Mr.  Bliss  and  Mr.  May.  These  are  very 
meager.  Their  chief  use  has  been  to  suggest  inquiries,  and 
fix  dates.  Events  only  alluded  to  there,  have  been  found,  on 
investigation,  to  have  historical  importance. 

2d.  Letters.  For  old  letters  dating  as  far  back  as  1807,  I 
am  indebted  to  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Button,  Glover,  Vt.,  a  daughter 
of  Sarah  Bliss,  afterwards  Mrs.  Alonzo  Button. 


VI  APPOLOGETICAL    PREFACE. 

3d.  The  recollections  of  living  persons.  This  has  been  a 
gratifying  and  perplexing  source  of  information.  The  narra- 
tives but  seldom  perfectly  harmonized,  and  were  often  contra- 
dictory. Pages  of  reminiscences  have  been  cast  aside  because 
depending  on  only  one  memory.  There  has  been  diligence 
to  put  down  nothing  but  what  was  corroborated  by  the  testi- 
mony of  several  of  our  aged  citizens.  It  is  scarcely  probable, 
however,  that  the  surviving  witnesses  of  many  of  the  scenes 
herein  detailed,  will,  in  every  case  be  satisfied,  so  much  depends 
on  the  standpoint  of  the  reader.  They  may  miss  circumstances, 
lights  and  shadows,  that  give  quite  a  different  hue  and  air  to 
the  event,  as  they  remember  it.  But  I  have  been  faithful  to 
the  best  light  I  had. 

And  now,  that  my  task  is  ended,  T  feel  like  assuring  the 
reader  that  it  has  been  the  work  only  of  leisure  hours,  in  the 
course  of  a  somewhat  hard  wrought  ministry. 

"  I  left  no  calling  for  this  idle  trade." 

It  has  been  a  work  of  love  and  delight  to  gather  up  some  of 
the  fast  fading  facts  and  scenes  in  the  history  of  the  noble  and 
neglected  district  of  Illinois  with  which  my  sympathies  and 
life  have  been  identified.  And  now  in  fervent  love  to  my  gen- 
eration, I  bring  this  contril)ution  to  the  history  of  the  former 
days,  and  lay  it  reverently  down  before  their  eyes. 


I XI  c)  e  X , 


CHAPTER    1.                                 PAGE. 
Unmoored... t 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Lodge  in  the  Wilderness 25 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Chitroh  in  the  Wilderness 45 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The   Preparation. 61 

CHAPTER  V. 
A  Good  Soldieu  of  Jesus   Christ   85 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Wilderness  Work  for   Christ 105 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Beautiful  Lives 121 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
An  Old-Time  Meeting  of  Presbytery 137 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Rev.  Isaac  Bennet,  A.  M. — A  Prefatory  Sketch 157 

CHAPTER  X. 
Rev.  Isaac  Bennet,  A.  M. — By  the  Rev  W.  A.  Fleming.  .  173 

CHAPTER  XL 
Rev.  Isaac  Bennet,  A.M. — By  the  Rev.  Robt.  H.  Lilley,.  195 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Griefs  and  Comforts 209 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

New  Faces 229 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Gleanings  of  the  Vintage 243 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Final  Estimates  Contributed  by  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Lilley. 259 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Farewells 273 


UptOOpD. 

CHAPTEE  I. 

A.    D.     1787    TO    1818. 

'he  Eev.  Stephen  Bliss,  A.  M.,  was  born  in 
Lebanon,  New  Hampshire,  March  27,  1787. 
He  was  the  fourth  child  of  Stephen  and  Sa- 
rah Bliss.  His  parents  were  poor,  his  father 
being  a  small  farmer  at  the  time  of  his  son's  birth, 
with  a  cottage  in  the  village,  where  the  family 
resided. 

Like  Newton,  Hannah  More,  Dr.  Thomas 
Scott,  and  multitudes  of  those  whose  lives  have 
blessed  and  adorned  society,  this  good  man  arose 
from  obscurity.  No  "  evidence  of  the  truth  o 
Christianity,"  should  so  commend  the  religion  of 
Jesus  to  the  j^oor  as  this  fact,  that  it  has  gathered 
the  vast  majority  of  those  who  have  been  eminent 
for  their  virtues  and  usefulness,  whose  lives  have 
"  shone  as  lights  in  the  world,"  from  among  their 
ranks. 

(7) 


8  UNMOORED. 

Before  the  development  of  her  manufactures, 
the  villages  and  rural  districts  of  New  England 
were  poor.  Wealth  and  luxury  were  unknown. 
Frugality,  simplicity,  economy,  characterized  the 
habits  of  the  people.  Of  all  its  villages,  Lebanon 
was  one  of  the  quietest,  and  Deacon  Bliss'  one  of 
the  humblest  of  its  homes.  But  the  fortunes  of 
the  devout  family  seemed  to  have  decayed  still 
further,  for  when  the  younger  Biiss  first  appears 
upon  the  scene  as  a  student  at  Dr.  AVood's,  his 
father  had  removed  to  Glover,  Yermont,  near  the 
Canada  line.  Here  we  find  them,  in  1808,  living 
in  a  "  log  hut  "  that  had  to  be  providently  daubed 
up  each  autumn  to  ward  off  the  piercing  winds 
of  winter.  The  family  at  that  time  consisted  of 
the  parents,  two  sisters,  Sarah  and  Anna,  and 
five  brothers,  Benjamin  who  like  Stephen  was 
aspiring  after  an  education,  and  John,  who  spent 
much  of  his  time  at  Lebanon,  and  was  even  then 
threatened  with  a  decline,  Stephen,  Luther,  and 
Ziba.  Of  these  sons,  Stephen  was  the  third.  He 
often  illustrated  the  cheerful  disposition  of  his 
father,  by  relating  that  whenever  any  work  was 
to  be  done,  the  father  was  sure  to  wittily  call  for 
his  three  oldest,  or  his  three  youngest  sons,  which 
would  of  course  always  include  him.  Luther 
died  of  consumption  in  ISU.  Ziba  Bliss,  the 
eldest  son,  owned    the  farm  on  which  the  "  log 


UNMOORED.  9 

hut"  stood, and  lived  within  call,  with  his  young 
family.  The  family  thus  consisted  in  fact  of 
only  four,  the  parents,  and  the  two  daughters. 

But  if  it  were  an  humble  household,  it  was  one 
of  rare  excellence.  Judging  by  the  old  and  crum- 
23led  letters  that  emanated  from  it,  and  still  exist, 
w^e  can  perceive  an  air  of  piety,  of  simplicity,  of 
pinching  economy,  but  all  brightened  by  intelli- 
gence, affection,  and  perfect  housewifery.  It  was 
doubtless  just  such  a  home  as  Puritanism  de- 
lighted to  set  its  poor  in,  small,  cleanly,  scantily 
furnished,  but  full  of  homebred  comforts,  with  a 
few  soul-full  books  and  the  well-read  Bible  as 
the  household  oracle.  They  were  not  destitute^ 
but  one  of  the  sisters  wrote  pleasantly  to  her 
brother,  when  in  Middlebury  College,  "  property 
does  not  appear  to  stick  to  a  Bliss'  hands."  It 
was  a  struggle  among  them  all,  to  raise  enough 
on  the  little  farm  and  in  the  gardens  to  subsist 
on  during  the  year.  Sometimes  the  scanty  soil 
yielded  an  abundant  harvest,  but  if  the  rains  did 
not  fall  on  the  stony  fields  just  at  the  right  sea- 
son, their  potatoes  and  pumpkins  and  corn  were 
all  ready  to  wither.  It  was  a  hard-wrought, 
anxious  life  they  led. 

But  what  was  sadder  far  was  the  hereditary 
scourge  of  consumption  "  in  the  family.  The 
health  of  the  aged  parents  had  been  early  broken 
(2) 


10  UNMOORED. 

by  it,  althougli  they  still  lingered  on.  Ziba  was 
often  laid  by  with  the  constitutional  disorder  for 
months,  and  even  Anna  and  Sarah  in  their  love- 
ly youth  as  they  were,  did  not  escape  alarming 
symptoms.  As  each  winter  came  on  with  its 
heavy  snows,  its  long  and  piercing  frosts,  its  wild 
Canada  storms,  the  family  would  almost  expect 
to  be  separated  before  the  summer  again  smiled. 
At  last,  one  day  in  October,  1814,  they  heard 
that  John  was  gone,  and  the  next  year,  1815, 
poor  Ben  was  brought  home  from  Middlebury, 
struck  down  in  the  midst  of  his  generous  strug- 
gles and  aspirations.  He  lingered  in  a  long  and 
painful  decline,  sinking  in  spite  of  the  anxieties 
and  assiduous  attentions  of  his  heart-broken 
friends,  and  finally  expired  on  the  5th  of  August. 
"  Tlie  prospects  of  our  family  are  certainlj^  very 
gloomy,"  wrote  poor  Anna  to  her  brother,  but 
tenderly  added, ''  if  so  many  friends  depart,  those 
who  remain  must  cling  closer  to  each  other;  we 
must  see  that  father  and  mother  want  for  noth- 
ing."    So  united  in  filial  piety, 

"Toiling,  rejoicing,  sorrowing, 
Onward  through  life  they  go." 

Another  fact  in  the  home-life,  is  so  significant 
that  it  should  not  be  overlooked  in  estimating 
the  temper  and  spirit  of  the  family.  All  this 
time  the   5"0ung  sisters  were  trying  to   educate 


UNMOORED.  11 

themselves.  If  their  poverty,  or  at  least  the  care 
of  their  aged  parents,  forbade  their  enjoying  the 
advantages  of  a  literary  training,  they  still  as- 
pired after  what  was  wise  and  good,  in  culture 
and  character.  They  had  their  school-books  and 
hours  of  study.  When  Benjamin  was  sick,  he 
beguiled  his  affliction  with  this  "labor  of  love." 
"Brother  Ben  teaches  us  when  his  cough  per- 
mits," Sarah  wrote  in  the  early  spring  of  1815. 
Propped  up  on  his  couch  the  dying  student  spent 
his  fading  life  helping  the  sisters  on  in  the 
arduous  work  of  self-culture,  until  his  strength 
was  gone.  Eeally  that  "  old  log  hut,"  as  Anna 
calls  it — not  sneeringly — was  the  scene  of  rarely 
noble,  heroic  lives.  These  must  have  been  "  God's 
poor  " — rich  in  mind,  and  truth,  and  aspirations. 

Such  was  the  home  atmosphere  in  which  Mr. 
Bliss  grew  up.  As  he  approached  manhood,  a 
most  efficient  friend  was  raised  up  to  help  him 
on  his  course.  This  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Wood, 
D.  D.,  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  Boscaween,  New  Hampshire,  who  took  such 
an  interest  in  his  modest  but  aspiring  nephew, 
that  he  invited  him  to  his  house. 

This  gentleman,  Dr.  Wood,  with  whom  the 
reader  will  grow  familiar  in  the  following  pages, 
was  a  scholar  and  divine  of  much  note.  He 
preached  to   the  one  church  of  Boscaween  for 


12  UNMOORED. 

forty-five  years,  and  his  talents  and  virtue  may 
be  inferred.-'^  He  was  greatly  honored  and  es- 
teemed as  an  educator.  He  was  accustomed  to 
receive  lads  and  young  men  into  his  family  to 
instruct.  Many  of  them  after  graduating  in 
some  of  the  Literary  Institutions  around,  would 
return  to  their  old  preceptor  to  study  '*  Divini- 
ty." It  was  thus  a  token  of  good,  when  this 
eminent  and  godly  man  invited  young  Bliss  to 
the  parsonage  at  Boscaween.  From  this  time 
on.  Dr.  Wood's  house  became  his  home.  Here 
he  fitted  himself  for  the  Junior  Class,  and  in 
1810  he  entered  Middlebury  College,  then  under 
the  Presidency  of  Dr.  Henry  Davis.  In  1812  he 
graduated,  with  a  high  standing  for  scholarship, 
and  his  fond  dream  of  a  liberal  education  was 
realized.  Having  long  before  determined  on  the 
ministry,  he  returned  to  Dr.  "Wood's,  and  entered 
on  the  study  of  Theology.  Thus  two  years  were 
passed. 

At  last,  in  1814,  having  finished  his  preparation, 
he  applied  to  the  Hopkinton  Association  for 
license  to  preach  the  Gospel.  At  the  examina- 
tion that  followed,  he  was  rejected  on  account  of 
alleged  defective  views  of  the  person,  and  conse- 


*Several  of  his  students  became  very  noted  afterward,  as 
the  two  Websters,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  Dr.  Worcester,  the 
Lexicographer,  etc. 


UNMOORED.  13 

quently  of  the  atoning  work  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  He  was  prepared  to  say  that  Jesus  was 
truly  the  "  Son  of  God,"  even  the  "Eternal  Son," 
but  he  could  not  say  that  "  He  was  the  God,  of 
whom  He  was  the  Son."  The  association,  jealous 
for  the  glory  of  their  Lord,  and  "  knowing  that 
the  days  were  evil,"  thought  they  discerned  the 
"Arian  horror"  lurking  beneath  his  language, 
and  advised  him  to  stop  and  re-examine  his 
views. 

We  need  to  pause  a  moment  over  this  mortify- 
ing event.  "Was  Mr.  Bliss  an  Arian  at  this 
time?  "  We  think  not.  He  speaks  in  his  letters 
to  his  friends  of  the  "  divine  merits  of  the 
Eedeemer."  Dr.  Wood  (whose  Church  in  1815 
in  the  midst  of  a  great  revival,  voted  that  no  one 
could  be  received  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
Church  unless  they  believed  in  the  Trinity  of  the 
adorable  Godhead),  we  find,  defended  him,  and 
indorsed  his  sentiments  as  scriptural.  We  have 
no  intimation  throughout  all  his  correspondence, 
and  the  records  that  survive  of  his  whole  life, 
that  his  views  of  Jesus  Christ  were  ever  even 
seriously  modified,  and  yet  he  taught  all  through 
his  ministry  "  redemption  through  our  great 
God  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ."  This  was  the 
key-note  of  his  prayers,  his  hopes  and  his  per- 
sonal trust  for  salvation. 


14  UNMOORED. 

Why  then  this  rebuke?  It  seems  to  have 
sprung  from  confusion  of  views,  in  the  minds  of 
both  parties.  From  what  appears  above,  the 
candidate  intended  to  deny  that  God  the  Father, 
and  God  the  Son,  were  the  same  person.  But  the 
Association  understood  him  as  asserting  that  the 
Son  was  not  the  same  in  suhstance  with  the 
Father,  equal  in  power  and  glory.  Hence  the 
decision. 

But  those  were  days  of  change  and  bewilder- 
ment. Plausible  errors  were  beginning  to  per- 
vade the  New  England  churches.  They  crept  in 
under  the  guise  of  more  "liberal  opinions." 
Philosophy  came  in  to  explain  the  mysteries  of 
revelation,  and  take  away  the  "  offense  of  the 
cross."  In  many  pulpits  the  old  and  serious 
truths  of  the  Puritan  theology,  concerning  man's 
ruin  and  the  divine  remedy  brought  to  light  in 
the  Gospel — the  remedy  for  his  guilt  in  the  im- 
puted righteousness  of  the  glorious  Emmanuel, 
and  the  remedy  for  his  depravity  in  the  im- 
parted righteousness  of  the  Holy  Ghost — gradu- 
ally became  less  and  less  familiar.  Their  places 
were  insidiously  supplied  by  glowing  eulogies 
of  virtue,  homilies  on  morals,  and  curious  specu- 
lations in  divinity.  Thus  the  "Negative  The- 
ology" at  first  supplanted,  and  then  endeavored 
to  subvert,  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  salvation 


UNMOORED.  15 

in  New  England.  The  character  of  the  preach- 
ing at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  that  paved 
the  way  for  the  havoc  that  followed,  may  be 
inferred  from  a  compliment  paid  the  Eev.  Abiel 
Abbot,  D.  D.,  pastor  for  many  years  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Haverhill,  Massachusetts, 
and  afterward  of  Beverly,  by  one  of  his  parish- 
ioners. "I  have  sat  under  the  preaching  of  my 
pastor  for  sixteen  years,  and  I  do  not  yet  know 
what  are  his  articles  of  faith."  So  the  truth  per- 
ished. Under  this  state  of  things,  "the  trumpets 
giving  an  uncertain  sound,"  we  can  not  wonder 
that  an  air  of  confusion  and  uncertainty,  respect- 
ing the  vital  truths  of  Christianity,  should  per- 
vade the  churches,  and  the  way  be  opened  for 
plausible  and  subversive  errors.  Living  in  such 
a  time  as  that,  and  "  having  the  Gospel  in  charge 
to  commit  unto  faithful  men,  who  would  be  able 
also  to  instruct  others,"  we  are  not  surprised  at 
their  sensitiveness,  nor  their  jealousy  of  all  that 
savored  of  the  rising  heresy. 

The  course  of  the  Association  took  him  com- 
pletely by  surprise.  However  pure  the  motive,  it 
seems  evident  that  the  decision  of  the  Association 
was  hasty.  Ten  years  later,  without  one  word  of 
explanation  from  Mr.  Bliss,  but  on  a  statement  by 
Dr.  Wood  of  the  misapprehensions  that  had  led 
to  the  decision,  they  reversed  it,  and  gave  him 
the  license  he  had  once  sought  at  their  hands. 


16  UNMOORED. 

All  me!  what  gentleness,  meekness,  patience, 
should  reign  among  God's  servants,  as  well  as 
love  and  zeal  for  the  truth.  But  the  decision 
hedged  up  his  way.  He  at  once  gave  up  all 
thought  of  the  ministry.  In  his  perplexity  he 
cast  about  him  for  some  employment  that  would 
occupy  his  time  until  the  Divine  will  concerning 
him  should  be  unvailed.  Just  then  George  May, 
an  old  college  mate,  and  a  young  man  of  pleasing 
manners  and  admirable  spirit,  and  whom  we 
more  than  suspect  to  have  been  tenderly  at- 
tached to  one  of  the  fair  sisters  at  Glover,  came 
by  on  his  way  home  from  Middlcbury  College, 
where  he  had  just  graduated.  Bliss  was  easily 
persuaded  to  accompany  him,  and  by  October 
the  two  friends  started  out  to  look  for  some  wor- 
thy opening  for  teaching.  Each  was  fully  pre- 
pared for  doing  good  service.  The  point  aimed 
for  was  famous  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  but 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  young  tourists,  they  were 
ready  to  turn  out  of  the  way  to  view  any  curios- 
ity in  nature  or  art,  or  any  scene  made  interest- 
ing in  history.  At  length  they  reached  Ply- 
mouth, where  May's  relatives  resided.  The 
town  had  been  terribly  wasted  during  the  war, 
but  the  natural  scenery  remained.  They  hunted 
up  the  veritable  ''rock  on  which  their  ancestors 
had  first  set  foot  in  the  ISTew  World,  and  standing 


UNMOORED.  17 

on  it"  gazed  out  on  the  sea,  over  which  the  Pil- 
grims came  in  1620,  with  the  seeds  of  a  free 
State  and  a  free  Church  in  their  holy  faith. 

But  no  satisfactory  situation  presented  itself. 
New  England  was  full  of  teachers.  A  seminary 
was  offered  Bliss  at  Plymouth,  but  under  condi- 
tions that  made  it  undesirable.  And  so  the  two 
friends,  never  more  to  be  long  separated  in  this 
world,  started  out  together  again.  They  traveled 
until  they  reached  the  Hudson  Eiver,  and  here 
May  found  a  school  at  Watervliet,  and  Bliss  one 
among  the  wealthy  Dutch  at  Greenbush.  At 
the  close  of  his  engagement  here  he  entered  the 
academy  at  Milton.  This  was  a  more  desirable 
position.  He  was  associated  with  his  friend  and 
classmate,  Ashley  Sampson,  a  gentleman  of  tal- 
ents and  liberal  education,  who  afterward  rose  to 
eminence  as  a  lawyer  and  jurist  in  New  York. 
The  school  was  an  important  one.  Among  the 
students  was  one  who  became  distinguished  as  a 
divine,  an  educator,  and  author — the  late  Eev. 
James  Wood,  D.  D.,  Moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly  at  Newark,  1864.-!^ 

In  the  autumn  of  1816  he  received  a  flattering 
overture  from  the  citizens  of  Utica,  far  u]3  the 


*  In  1838,  when  the  storm  was  raging  that  divided  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  a  copy  of  Dr.  Wood's  compilation,  "  Old 
and  New  Theology,"  fell  into  his  old  preceptor's  hands,  and 
was  of  great  benefit  to  him. 


18  UNMOORED. 

Mohawk  valley.  Se  had  now  made  a  reputa- 
tion as  a  teacher,  and  during  his  connection  with 
this  academy  it  rose  to  considerable  popularity. 
His  time  was  given  to  the  advanced  classes  and 
higher  branches  exclusively,  and  an  assistant 
teacher  took  the  care  of  the  rest.  About  one 
hundred  students  were  under  his  tuition.  It 
was  a  position  that  taxed  and  developed  his 
scholarship.  In  addition  to  the  duties  of  a  teach- 
er, he  read  to  his  students  a  coarse  of  lectures  on 
topics  in  ethics  and  theology.  Many  of  them 
still  survive,  and  are,  at  least,  specimens  of  exact 
and  excellent  English.  While  thus  employed  he. 
had  the  honor  to  receive  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  from  Hamilton  College. 

His  position  now  was  honorable,  useful,  and 
pleasant.  TJtica  was  a  town  remarkable  for  in- 
telligence, and  for  the  enterprise  and  refinement 
of  its  people.  The  missionary  sj^irit  prevailed, 
uniting  the  churches  in  a  holy  fellowship  of 
effort  for  Christ's  cause.  A  female  benevolent 
and  missionary  society,  numbering  three  or 
four  hundred,  met  often  for  counsel  and  prayer 
in  the  academy.  His  religious  privileges,  too, 
were  richly  enjoyed  and  improved.  A  small  vol- 
ume still  remains,  containing  the  outlines  of  ser- 
mons preached  by  his  pastor,  and  others,  during 
his  residence  in  the  beautiful  town. 


UNMOORED.  19 

But  the  charms  of  his  position  nor  its  honors 
could  keep  back  the  decay  that  haunted  his  sys- 
tem. He  found  the  confinem.ent  and  the  close 
application  required  by  his  duties  rapidly  ex- 
hausting his  health.  In  the  spring  of  1819  he 
felt  it  absolutely  necessary  to  lay  down  his  bur- 
dens, and  vacate  the  school-room.  In  the  month 
of  May  he  took  a  horseback  tour  to  Lake  On- 
tario; lodged  with  some  friends  at  Sackett's  Har- 
bor, and  endeavored  to  regain  his  strength  by  a 
thorough  recreation.  He  spent  his  days  on  the 
water  rowing  or  floating  or  fishing  in  the  coves 
and  bays  of  the  lovely  inland  sea,  or  in  hunting 
or  loitering  among  the  wooded  hills  and  head- 
lands of  the  shore.  In  the  midst  of  this  busy 
idleness  he  soon  found  himself  improving.  Be- 
fore the  month  was  out,  by  far  too  soon,  he  went 
back  to  Utica  and  resumed  his  place.  It  was 
not  long  before  his  health  again  began  to  sink, 
and  he  became  convinced  that  this  flattering  and 
delightful  scene  was  not  the  sphere  in  which 
Providence  would  have  him  labor.  He  had  writ- 
ten to  his  father  in  the  early  spring  that  his 
thoughts  had  been  turned  to  the  Southwest, 
where  land  was  fertile  and  cheap,  and  the  climate 
mild,  and  that  he  sometimes  desired  to  explore 
the  country  to  see  if  he  could  not  find  a  more 
congenial  home  for  all  the  family.     As  the  sum- 


20  UNMOORED. 

mer  advanced  he  resolved  on  this  tour.  On 
breaking  the  matter  to  May,  he  found  him  ready 
and  eager  for  the  adventure,  and  their  plans 
were  soon  matured. 

When  this  became  known  among  his  friends, 
it  raised  a  storm  of  expostulation;  especially  the 
affectionate  household  in  Glover  were  beside 
themselves  with  apprehension.  He  had  already 
been  absent  for  more  than  three  years;  that  they 
had  not  seen  his  face,  and  all  the  family  were 
now  gone,  but  the  aged  parents,  and  the  two  sis- 
ters and  Ziba.  We  can  readily  understand  .what 
a  pang  shot  through  their  hearts  at  the  thought 
of  losing  Stephen. 

This  circumstance  had  one  very  agreeable  re- 
sult: it  called  out  a  correspondence  that  discovers 
to  us  more  fully  the  sterling  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart  possessed  by  these  j-oung  ladies. 
Time  had  now  matured  them,  and  a  lovely  ma- 
turity it  was.  The  atmosphere  of  piety,  of  good 
sense,  of  taste,  and  independence,  in  which  they 
had  grown  up,  and  the  care  of  their  brothers  for 
their  improvement,  and  of  their  uncle,  the  ven- 
erable Dr.  Wood,  we  find  have  not  been  lost. 
Anna  is  the  principal  correspondent.  She  is 
pensive,  and  prone  to  reverie.  Her  letters  are 
marked  with  good  sense,  purity,  tenderness,  and 
a  perpetual  refrain  of  thoughtfalness.     Sarah  is 


UNMOORED.  21 

too  busy  to  write  often,  but  when  she  does  she 
exhibits  all  of  Anna's  sisterly  love,  spiced  with  a 
broad  and  winning  humor  all  her  own.  In  those 
days  postage  was  expensive;  but  the  sisters  were 
proud  of  their  grave  and  scholarly  brother,  and 
after  his  removal  to  the  West,  plied  him  well 
with  home  news,  home  affections,  anxieties,  joys, 
griefs,  hopes,  and  fears.  Like  all  female  corre- 
spondence, it  is  a  perfect  sun -picture  of  the  little 
world  from  which  it  emanated.  Love  and  confi- 
dence are  in  every  line. 

Looking  through  these  old,  brown,  torn  letters 
into  that  family  circle,  we  learn  to  esteem  the 
inmates  of  the  old  log  hut,  as  lovely  characters. 
The  picture  of  each  of  the  fair  Puritans,  that 
rises  to  the  fancy,  as  we  muse  on  these  vestiges 
that  still  survive  of  the  once  tidy,  quiet,  rustic 
cottage,  reminds  us  of  Wordsworth's  fine  lines : 

"  A  being  breathing  thoughtful  breath,  / 

The  reason  firm,  the  temperate  will, 

Endurance,  foresight,  strength,  and  skill ; 

A  perfect  woman,  nobly  planned. 

To  warn,  to  comfort,  and  command  ; 

And  yet  a  spirit,  still  and  bright, 

With  something  of  an  angel  light." 

Poems  of  the  Imagination. 

In  this  quiet,  saintly  home,  it  awakened  a  flood 
of  tenderness,  that  *'  Stephen  "  was  resolved  to 
adventure  his  life  in  the  West.     To  them  it  was 


22  UNMOORED. 

a  far-off  land,  much  further  than  it  is  in  these 
days  of  railroads.  The  stories  that  had  reached 
them  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  were  stories  of 
savage  warfare,  the  feats  of  land  pirates,  and 
horse-thieves,  and  cut-throats,  and  the  bloody 
vengeance  of  the  regulators.  AYith  them,  the 
news  of  the  rich  soil  and  pleasant  climate  went 
for  nothing.  Could  these  compensate  for  the 
reign  of  crime  in  that  bloody  and  lawless  land, 
and  the  fatal  sicknesses  that  devoured  its  inhab- 
itants? For  this  son  and  brother  to  depart  for 
that  land  was  to  them  the  saddest  of  all  separa- 
tions. Anna  urged  duty,  and  Sarah  plied  hina 
with  her  wit  and  tenderness.  Even  his  vener- 
able father  appealed  to  his  filial  love.  But  he 
answered  their  importunities,  by  assuring  them 
that  the  danger  of  violence  was  exaggerated,  and 
by  asking  them  how  it  would  promote  their  hap- 
piness more  for  him  to  remain  near  them,  to  die 
early  like  his  brothers,  than  for  him  to  endeavor 
to  prolong  his  life  and  labors  by  seeking  a  milder 
climate.  Dr.  Wood  told  him  to  "  do  whatever  he 
felt  that  Providence  called  him  to  do."  Mr. 
Bliss  had  weighed  all,  and  decided. 

By  September  the  farewells  were  all  past,  and 
he  and  Mr.  May  were  started.  Their  traveling 
equipage  consisted  of  a  one-horse  wagon,  small 
and  light,  and  that  was  quite  smothered  up  with 


UNMOORED.  23 

age  by  the  time  they  had  put  on  a  very 
meager  outfit  for  their  long  tour.  Like  Abram, 
they  "  went  out,"  literally  "  not  knowing  whither 
they  went."     As  they  turned  their  faces  West, 

"  The  world  was  all  before  them  where  to  choose 
Their  place  of  rest,  and  Providence  their  guide." 

So  firm,  indeed,  seems  to  have  been  the  confi- 
dence of  these  j^ilgrims  that  "their  steps  would 
be  directed,"  that  they  traveled  on  day  after  day, 
having  no  definite  plan  as  to  whither,  nor  even 
how  far  they  should  go,  but  only  seeking  an 
agreeable  location,  cheap  land,  and  milder  air. 

Unmoored^  gentle  reader,  were  they  not?  And 
who  could  guess  in  what  nook  the  floating  bark 
would  drop  anchor  again  and  rest. 


Ill  torfsf  jB  |hi  Hif^erHf??. 


Like  a  picture  it  seenieLlof  the  priuiitive,  pastoral  ages, 
Fresh  with  tlie  youth  of  the  world." 


THE    LODGE    IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  27 


6 


'^ 


CHAPTEE  II. 

THE    LODGE    IN    THE    WILDERNESS. 

A.    D  .  1818    TO    1821. 

.OIISTGr  west  they  readied  the  lake  at  Buffalo, 
and  stopped  several  days  to  rest,  and  a 
party  went  over  to  see  Niagara,  "  the  roar- 
ing wonder  of  the  world,"  as  Mr.  Bliss 
speaks  of  it.  Thence  along  the  lake  shore  they 
journeyed  until  they  came  to  Cleveland;  and 
there,  starting  out  into  the  wilderness,  they 
traveled  for  weeks  through  almost  unbroken 
forests,  traversing  the  States  of  Ohio  and  In- 
diana until  they  came  to  Vincennes.  Here  they 
crossed  the  Wabash  Eiver,  and  keeping  on  still 
to  the  southwest  they  came  to  Decker's  Prairie, 
in  Illinois,  fifteen  miles  from  Vincennes.  Be- 
guiled by  the  beauty  of  the  country,  they  halted, 
to  inspect  it  more  narrowly.  The  landscape,  as 
it  first  met  their  gaze,  from  the  lofty  point  where 
they  emerged  from  the  forest  on  the  Vincennes 
road,  was    worthy   of    their    admiration.      The 


28        THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

prairie  stretched  out  before  them  like  a  waving 
meadow  to  the  woods  all  a'-ound.  Four  or  five 
cabins  widely  scattered,  and  some  of  them  almost 
hidden  by  the  enormous  growth  of  wild  grass 
sent  up  their  thin  wreaths  of  curling  smoke  into 
the  calm  peaceful  air.  The  forests  that  skirted  this 
vast  sea  of  flowers-  and  verdure  all  around,  stood 
gay  with  their  robes  of  bright  autumn  leaves. 
It  was  October;  all  the  birds  of  song  were  gone 
long  before,  and  not  a  voice  seemed  to  disturb 
the  quiet  of  the  scene  or  break  the  perfect  repose 
of  nature.  How  different  this  to  the  broken  and 
stony  landscapes  to  which  their  eyes  had  been 
familiar.  There  was  something  in  it  that  filled 
their  sense  of  sylvan  beauty.  They  stopped  to 
inquire  respecting  the  healthfulness  of  the  re- 
gion, the  soil  and  water,  etc.,  and  in  five  days 
they  purchased  the  tract  of  land  that  occupied 
the  center  of  the  romantic  scene.'-i^  "I  have 
traveled  somewhat  further  than  I  contemplated 

*Why  the  proprietors  selected  the  sandy  site,  with  an  eddy 
of  stagnant  water  in  the  river  in  front,  and  a  sour  and  sickly 
slough  but  a  little  way  off  to  the  west,  we  know  not,  without  it 
was  the  enticement  of  that  "fatal  spring."  The  Indians  en- 
camped in  the  neigliborhood,  warned  them  that  no  one  could 
live  there  :  "Papoos  die  there,  squaws  die  there,  lujin  die,  white 
man  die."  But  the  friendly  warning  was  neglected.  The 
deadly  disasters  of  Palmyra  almost  ruined  Southeast  Illinois 
for  a  generation.  It  gave  a  malignant  character  to  the  country, 
that  checked  and  turned  aside  the  tide  of  emigration  from  the 
East. 


THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.        29 

before  I  came  in  sight  of  the  ^  good  land'''  Mr. 
Bliss  wrote  back  delightedly  to  his  father,  away 
in  bleak  Glover,  "but  I  feel  amply  compensated 
for  the  fatigue  and  expense  of  a  long  journey." 
Thus  soon  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  voyagers, 
was  the  bark  moored  in  peace  and  the  voyage 
ended. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  glance  at  the  state  of 
things  that  then  existed  in  this  land  of  their 
adoption. 

Illinois  had  just  then  been  admitted  into  the 
Union  as  a  State.  The  principal  towns  were 
Kaskaskia,  Shawneetown,  Yandalia,  Palestine, 
etc.  Palmyra  (founded  in  1814,  long  since  "de- 
serted ")  was  then  the  rising  village  of  Edward's 
County.  It  was  the  county- seat  and  contained  a 
post-oflSce,  the  only  one  in  a  large  scope  of  coun- 
try, two  stores,  a  tavern,  a  double  log-cabin 
where  the  courts  were  held,  and  an  indefinite 
number  of  grog-shops  for  the  comfort  and  con- 
venience of  the  villagers.  A  bank  was  opened 
here,  too,  in  the  heyday  of  its  prosperity.  The 
location,  however,  proved  to  be  so  fatally  sickly 
that  the  site  was  finally  abandoned.  The  place 
where  the  busy  village  once  stood,  and  flatboats 
and  barges,  and  keelboats  and  the  various  kinds 
of  vessels  that  then  navigated  these  waters,  un- 
loading  their   burden  of  travelers,    adventurers 


30       THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

and  emigrants,  goods  and  stores  of  all  kinds  for 
the  growing  settlements,  is  now  a  cornfield.  The 
spring  of  water  that  supplied  the  village  in  large 
measure,  flows  out  of  the  river  bank  still,  with  as 
bright  a  current  as  of  old,  although  most  of  the 
villagers  who  oiice  drank  of  it  are  lying  in  their- 
graves  on  a  sandy  knoll  not  far  off,  and  all  the 
scene  is  as  silent  as  it  was  before  they  came  with 
their  vain  bustle. 

Mt.  Carmel,  below  the  rapids,  had  just  been 
laid  out.  Here  and  there  through  the  county 
there  were  settlements,  generally  with  a  block- 
house or  palisade  some  place  near  at  hand,  to 
protect  the  settlers  from  the  Indians,  who  still 
appeared  occasionally  in  roving  bands.  Some 
men  had  been  killed  in  the  *'  bottoms  of  Coffee 
Creek,"  in  a  foray  of  the  savages,  in  the  early 
spring  of  1816. 

The  bold  and  adventurous  spirit  of  the  pioneer 
was  thus  still  needed,  and  found  scope  for  exer- 
cise. Luxury,  elegance,  culture,  such  as  our  two 
friends  had  been  familiar  with  in  the  East,  were 
unknown.  As  to  society,  the  people  were  hardy, 
and  simple  in  their  habits;  and  as  to  the  coun- 
try, the  whole  land  was  unsubdued,  and  nature 
was  run  riot  in  wild  luxuriance  in  prairie  and 
forest.  "  The  soil  is  as  fertile  as  the  '  intervals  ' 
in  New  England,  and  the  growth  of  vegetation  i» 
something  wonderful,"  writes  Mr.  Bliss. 


THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.       31 

But  what  a  change  time  and  Providence  had 
wrought.  We  are  to  see  these  men  entering  a 
mode  of  life  of  the  rudest  description  possible. 
It  would  seem  that  the  field  of  their  future  lives 
was  not  only  assigned  them,  but  they  were 
plunged  into  the  very  depths  of  its  privations, 
roughness,  and  rusticity,  that  they  might  learn 
the  real  necessity  that  there  was  for  their  com- 
ing, and  the  work  to  which  God  had  appointed 
them. 

The  scenes  to  which  the  reader  is  now  invited 
are  thoroughly  pioneer.  He  will  have  glimpses 
of  the  occupations,  customs,  and  manner  of  life 
of  these  early  times;  and  what  was  true  in  this 
field,  is  also  true  still  in  large  part,  in  ajl  the 
frontier  settlements,  so  that  the  picture  may  be  of 
service  in  assisting  the  reader  to  understand  bet- 
ter the  hardships  endured  by  those  who  are  sub- 
duing the  wilderness,  and  are  now  actually  toil- 
ing at.  the  front  of  civilization. 

The  proprietor  of  whom  they  had  purchased 
could  not  vacate  his  cabin  at  once,  and  it  became 
necessary  for  them  to  provide  a  shelter  for  them- 
selves. November  2  they  began  their  prepara- 
tions to  build  an  addition  that  they  could  occupy 
during  the  winter.  The  main  cabin  stood  with 
the  gables  east  and  west,  and  the  door  fronting 
the  south.     Along  before  the  door  were  six  aged 


32       THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

oaks,  whose  branches  hung  quite  over  the  lowly 
home,  and  just  a  few  feet  south  of  this  row  of 
rugged  and  noble  trees,  and  under  their  shadow 
still,  was  the  well,  with  its  sweep  and  oaken 
bucket.  The  structure  proposed  to  be  built  now, 
was  a  "lean-to"  connected  with  this  cabin.  It 
was  put  up  with  saplings,  split  and  notched  so 
that  the  halves  would  lie  on  their  edge.  The 
upper  ends  of  the  rafters  rested  against  the  east 
end  of  the  cabin.  The  top  of  their  roof  would 
therefore  be  only  as  high  as  the  eaves  of  the 
other  building,  and  their  eave  was  bat  little 
above  their  heads.  By  the  29th  they  had  so  far 
completed  it,  as  to  sit  down  with  great  satisfac- 
tion by  their  own  fireside.  December  8  they  left 
their  boarding  place,  and  moved,  with  their  lit- 
tle all,  into  their  bachelor's  hall,  and  went  to 
housekeeping.  But  we  must  not  be  deceived  by 
this  language.  It  was  a  very  natural,  primitive 
establishment  indeed.  More  than  a  month  after 
this,  we  find  Mr.  May  busy  making  stools  for 
seats,  and  some  days  later  still  putting  down  a 
floor.  The  "lean-to"  was  to  them  kitchen,  sit- 
ting-room, bed-chamber,  wareroom,  larder;  an- 
swering for  all  uses,  noble  and  vile.  As  the  win- 
ter advanced,  the  room  filled  up  with  a  thrifty 
medley  of  everything.  The  rafters  over  their 
heads  became  ornamented  with  deer  skins  and 


THE    LODGE    IN    THE    WILDERNESS.  33 

other  pelts  that  had  fallen  into  their  hands,  hung 
there  to  dry.  Here  and  there  were  haras  and 
flitches  of  bacon,  and  strings  of  sausages,  etc., 
swung  up  to  receive  the  benefit  of  the  smoke, 
that  too  often  failed  to  get  out  of  the  home-made 
chimney,  and  that  floated  and  lurked  in  the  up- 
per vacancies  under  the  roof  The  scene  almost 
recalls  that  fine  creation  of  fancy,  the  lodge  of 
the  exiled  Douglass  in  Loch  Katrine's  romantic 
isle: 

'*  All  around,  the  walls  to  grace, 
Hung  trophies  of  the  fight  or  chase  : 
Here  grins  the  wolf  as  when  he  died, 
And  there  the  wildcat's  brindled  hide, 
The  frontlet  of  the  elk  adorns; 
And  deer  skins,  dapple,  dun,  and  white, 
With  otter's  furs  and  seal's  unite 
In  rude  and  uncouth  tapestry  all, 
To  garnish  forth  the  sylvan  hall." 

Lrxdy  of  the  Lake.     Canto  I. 

In  this  temporary  "lodge"  they  spent  their 
first  winter — the  days  passed  in  the  outdoor 
work  of  the  farmer,  the  evenings  in  chatting 
with  neighbors  who  called  in,  and  in  writing  let- 
ters to  far-away  friends,  and  in  laying  plans 
for  the  future.  With  a  good  conscience  within, 
and  their  surroundings  so  novel,  romantic  and 
interesting,  we  do  not  wonder  to  find  their  days 
"going  by  pleasantly." 


34        THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

It  was  evident,  too,  that  they  had  found  a 
milder  climate.  There  was  much  rain  and  but 
little  snow,  and  a  vast  deal  of  mud,  all  of  which 
was  new  to  them  in  the  winter.  And  one  warm 
and  sunny  week  in  January,  as  mild  and  ethereal 
as  a  New  Eogland  May,  the}^  noticed  birds,  sinp^- 
ing  on  the  trees  and  fences  around.  They  note 
this  feature  of  their  new  home  with  evident  sat- 
isfaction, and  the  whole  air  of  their  journals,  now 
scrupulously  kept  for  each  day,  is  that  of  inter- 
est and  enjoyment. 

As  the  spring  opened,  they  made  all  prepara- 
tions to  carry  out  some  of  their  plans  of  useful- 
ness. It  would  have  been  singular  if  they  had 
not  bestirred  themselves,  they  were  so  plied  with 
urgent  admonitions  from  their  friends  in  the 
East.  And  so  one  lovely  Sabbath  morning,  April 
11,  having  invited  in  the  children  of  the  families 
around,  they  opened  in  the  cabin  a  Sahhnth- 
school:-^-  That  day  there  were  twenty  scholars  in 
attendance.     Within  a   few  weeks    the    number 


*  The  old  proprietor  was  gone  now,  and  the  main  cabin  was 
empty.  Here  tiiey  put  benches  for  the  Sabbath-school,  with 
an  aisle  down  the  middle  of  the  room.  The  males,  young  and 
old,  occupied  one  side,  and  the  females  the  other,  after  the 
custom  of  the  country.  The  school  opened  at  9  o'clock;  at  1:2 
o'clock  there  was  a  recess  of  an  hour,  when  the  company  pic- 
nicked under  the  trees,  and  sang  together,  for  Mr.  May  was 
one  of  the  chief  singers.  At  1  o'clock  P.  M.,  the  school  was 
called  again,  and  the  exercises  did  not  close  lintil  4  o'clock. 
There  were  sometimes  sixty  pupils  present,  so  well  received 
was  this  effort  for  the  pubhc  good. 


THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.       35 

had  risen  to  forty,  and  still  further  increased 
during  the  summer.  They  spent  the  whole  day, 
morning  and  afternoon,  in  the  school,  teaching 
the  classes,  explaining  the  Scriptures,  interspers- 
ing the  exercises  with  hymns  and  prayers  for  the 
Divine  blessing.  After  fifty-one  years  that  Sab- 
bath-school still  flourishes,  with  growing  interest 
and  efficiency  for  good. 

Thus  was  opened  by  their  coming  this  first 
'well  in  the  wilderness." 

Was  this  the  first  Sabbath-school  in  Illinois  f  In 
1846  the  Eev.  Thomas  Lippincott  stated  in  a  his- 
torical sermon  before  the  Presbytery  of  Alton, 
that  "  so  far  as  he  was  aware,  he  opened  the  first 
Sabbath-school,  in  his  own  house,  in  1819."  On 
informing  him  of  Messrs.  Bliss  and  May's  school, 
started  April  11  of  that  year,  he  replied  "  that  he 
could  not  say  positively  what  time  in  the  year 
he  opened  his  school,  but  beyond  doubt  he  would 
be  compelled  to  share  the  honor  with  these 
sainted  servants  of  God.'* 

As  time  passed  on  Mr.  Bliss  was  followed  into 
his  rustic  retreat  by  the  expostulations  of  his 
unsatisfied  New  England  friends.  Gentle  Anna 
says:  "We  are  afraid  that  you  are  gone  so  far 
now,  that  we  shall  never  see  you  again  in  this 
world."  Witty  Sarah  wanted  to  know  if  he  was 
"near  enough  to  the  end  of  the  world  to  satisfy 


3Q  THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

him  yet,"  rails  at  his  new  house,  his  bachelor's 
establishment  and  farmer's  gear,  etc.,  and  winds 
up  by  gravely  assuring  him  that  he  was  certain- 
ly doomed  to  celibacy,  for  no  New  England  girl 
would  follow  his  fortunes  to  such  a  distance. 
To  all  this  he  only  responded  with  tidings  of  his 
returning  health,  of  the  beautiful  climate,  of  the 
fertile  soil,  and  of  the  Sabbath -school  of  more 
than  fifty  scholars,  parents  and  children,  that  he 
and  Mr.  May  had  gathered.  In  a  later  letter  he 
answers  her  continuous  raillery  in  something 
like  her  own  strain,  by  assuring  her  that  he  was 
become  a  royal  cook,  and  his  housekeej)ing  was 
by  no  means  to  be  sneered  at,  that  if  she  would 
but  do  him  the  honor  of  a  visit,  he  would  regale 
her  with  puddings  made  of  "  upland  rice"  of  his 
own  raising,  and  roasted  haunches  of  venison, 
and  turkeys  fresh  from  the  forests,  etc.  From 
all  which  it  seems  that  the  young  men  spread 
their  table,  like  the  patriarchs,  with  the  simple 
gifts  of  nature. 

His  venerable  father,  in  a  graver  strain,  ex- 
presses his  surprise  that  he  and  May  should  have 
expended  so  much  time  and  money  in  fitting 
themselves  for  usefulness,  and  then  go  off  to  the 
ends  of  the  country  and  turn  out  to  be  nothing 
but  farmers.  Mr.  Bliss  responded  that,  as  hon- 
orable and  useful  as  the  avocation  of  the  farmer 


THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.        37 

was,  it  was  not  the  life-long  object  of  his  ardent 
desires;  that  his  way  to  the  ministry  had  been 
hedged  up,  and  when  he  engaged  in  what  he 
esteemed  the  next  most  useful  employment,  the 
instruction  of  youth,  his  health  had  broken  down ; 
that  thus  his  present  position  was  contrary  to  all 
his  plans,  and  wholly  providential ;  that  he  felt 
that  he  was  in  the  path  of  duty,  because  there 
was  such  a  field  of  Christian  labor  before  him, 
and  his  health  and  strength  were  returning  in 
the  open-air  active  life  on  the  farm;  that  he  ac- 
cepted cheerfully  the  manifest  will  of  Providence, 
assured  that  he  was  placed  here  for  some  purpose 
that  would  be  revealed  in  due  time. 

All  the  year  wore  on  prosperously.  The  farm 
produced  abundantly,  the  Sabbath-school  flour- 
ished, and  everything  seemed  to  smile. 

1820.  But  the  next  year  was  unfortunate. 
Their  crops  were  cut  short  by  a  drought,  and  the 
ingenious  May  was  laid  aside  in  great  measure  by 
inflammatory  rheamatism.  It  appears  that  Mr. 
Bliss  had  intended  to  visit  the  East  during  the 
summer.  But  as  the  time  approached  he  found 
it  impossible.  His  friend  was  disabled  by  his 
agonizing  illness,  the  expenses  of  his  outfit  for 
farming  had  made  any  further  heavy  expense 
just  then  out  of  the  question,  and  no  money 
could  be  realized  from  sales   either  of  stock  or 


38      THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

produce,  even  if  there  had  been  any  for  the  mar- 
ket. In  a  letter  to  Anna,  at  midsummer,  he  be- 
moans his  disappointment,  and  explains  the  rea- 
sons. But  as  the  year  advances  we  discover  a 
growing  uneasiness.  His  mind  was  evidently 
lingering  with  a  tender  tenacity  over  the  recol- 
lections of  ]S"ew  England  friends.  He  wrote 
more  frequently.  In  July  he  even  goes  so  far  as 
to  hint  to  his  father  that  keeping  bachelor's  hall 
had  sadly  lost  its  charms. 

Mr.  Campbell,  in  his  own  tender  way,  sings  of 
Adam  in  Paradise  before  the  creation  of  Eve, 
that — 

"  Mau  the  hermit  sighed,  till  woman  smiled  ;" 

and  if  Love  could  breathe  his  disquietude  and 
perturbations  amidst  scenes  of  such  satisfying 
beauty  and  j^eace,  what  uneasiness  may  we  not 
suppose  him  to  have  wrought  in  the  rude  low 
cabin  in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness. 

"  Still  slowly  passed  the  melancholy  day, 
And  still  the  stranger  wist  not  where  to  stay; 
The  world  was  sad." 

Of  course  this  state  of  things  could  not  always 
continue.  By  October  his  mind  was  made  up. 
In  June  the  impossible  thing  of  raising  one  hun- 
dred or  two  hundred  dollars  stood  in  the  way  of 
his  visit  to  the  East,  but  by  October  this  barrier 
had  entirely  vanished.     Ingenuity  and  resolution 


THE    LODGE   IN   THE    WILDERNESS.  39 

can  accomplish  wonders.  Friday  evening,  Octo- 
ber 6,  he  made  a  rude  knapsack,  and  on  Monday 
morning,  a  bright,  auspicious  morning,  bidding 
his  old  friend  and  companion  a  hearty  good- 
by,  he  started  for  his  far  away  home  on  foot. 
Trudging  on,  with  varying  adventures,  he  ac- 
complished the  journey  of  1,200  miles  in  fifty 
days,  and  arrived  at  Boscaween  in  good  health 
and  the  best  spirits.*  On  the  seventh  of  the  fol- 
lowiDg  April  he  was  himself  happily  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Worcester,  at  Dr.  Wood's.  His 
venerable  uncle  united  them,  and  gave  them  a 
patriarch's  blessing.  By  the  last  day  of  April 
they  were  started  in  a  two-hcrse  wagon  for^their 
home  in  the  Far  West,  and  after  a  journey  o 
eight  weeks  they  reached  the  little  cabin  under 
the  oaks.  "  I  am  really  rejoiced,"  writes  Mr. 
Bliss  to  his  father,  "  after  passing  over  so  much 
rough  country,  to  see  the  prairie  again ,  it  looks 
morepl^sant  than  ever." 

Mr.  May,  who  had  passed  a  solitary  winter  in 
the  cabin,  was  ready  to  give  them  a  cordial  wel- 

*  Dec.  22,  the  anniversary  of  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  a 
New  England  Thanksgiving,  he  spent  with  his  venerable  pa- 
rents and  his  sisters  at  home.  After  four  years'  absence  we 
may  readily  believe  that  it  was  a  joyful  thanksgiving  in  the  old 
devout  family.  January  9  there  was  a  wedding  in  the  houge- 
hold,  and  a  greeting  of  old  friends  brought  together  by  the  joy- 
ful occasion.  His  sister  Anna  was  married  to  Dr.  David  In- 
graham,  of  Hartford,  Ct.  So  pleasantly  the  holidays  and  the 
boisterous  winter  passed. 


40  THE    LODGE    IN   THE    WILDERNESS. 

come.  They  came  to  their  home,  like  Ruth  and 
Naomi,  in  the  sweetest  pastoral  in  the  world,  ''at 
the  beginning  of  barley  harvest."  The  two  old 
friends  went  out  into  the  fields  together,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  year  passed  with  them 
busied  in  agricultural  interests. 

The  tall  fair  wife  was  of  old  Puritan  lineage.  In 
1638  or  16-iO,  the  Eev.  Wm.  Worcester  came  from 
England  and  was  settled  pastor  of  a  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  Salisbury,  Massachusetts.  From 
him  has  descended  a  very  numerous  and  widely 
extended  family. 

The  Eev.  Noah  Worcester,  D.  D.,  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Bliss,  was  born  in  Hollis,  New  Hampshire, 
Nov.  25,  1758.  During  the  Revolutionary  War 
the  family  were  fiery  patriots.  At  sixteen  years 
of  age  he  was  a  fifer  in  the  army.  He  took  part 
in  the  memorable  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  and 
afterward  of  Bennington.  After  the  war  he  set- 
tled, in  1782,  at  Thornton,  New  Hampsiiire,.  and 
pursued  a  course  of  self-instruction  in  the  arts 
Jind  sciences,  and  divinity,  while  supporting  him- 
self by  shoemaking  and  instructing  youth.  In 
1786  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  the  next 
year  he  was  settled  as  pastor  over  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  Thornton.  Here  he  remained 
for  twenty  years.  In  1791  he  received  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Dartmouth 


THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS.        41 

College,  and  that  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Harvard  in  1818.  He  was  remarkable  for  intel- 
lectual industry,  and  for  his  profound  and  specu- 
lative turn  of  mind.  He  was  an  indefatigable 
student  and  a  voluminous  author.  He  departed, 
in  his  later  years,  almost  entirely  from  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  He  died  at 
Brighton,  Massachusetts,  Oct.  31,  1837.  Two  of 
his  sons  graduated  at  Harvard,  and  became  emi- 
nent as  scholars,  but  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
their  father's  mystic  and  subtile  speculations, 
they  both  at  last  became  Swedenborgians.  Betsy, 
his  sixth  daughter,  born  Feb.  27,  1789,  had  been 
taken  when  a  child  by  Dr.  Wood,  and  raised  and 
educated  in  his  devout  and  industrious  house- 
hold. 

A  brother  of  her  father,  Jesse  Worcester,  Esq., 
born  at  the  old  homestead  at  HoUis,  and  who 
afterward  inherited  it,  was  the  father  of  a  family 
of  fifteen  children,  many  of  whom  became  distin- 
guished as  scholars.  Joseph  Emerson  Worcester, 
LL.  D.,  the  lexicographer,  was  his  second  son. 
This  was  another  of  the  students  of  Dr.  Wood 
who  became  eminent. 

Such  was  the  noble  line  of  intellectual  men, 
patriots,  scholars  and  divines,  from  which  she 
sprung. 

In  the  family  of  Dr.  Wood  she  had  enjoyed 
3 


42       THE  LODGE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

rare  '  privileges,  social,  mental,  and  spiritual. 
But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  intellectual  strength, 
elevation,  and  culture,  the  whole  household  econ- 
omy was  intensely  simple  and  practical.  Sur- 
rounded by  domestic  plenty,  she  was  yet  trained 
to  habits  of  industry,  frugality,  and  carefulness — 
"to  lay  her  hands  to  the  spindle,  and  to  hold  the 
distaff."  She  was,  too,  diligently  instructed  in 
the  truths  and  precepts  of  religion.  Mrs.  Wood, 
"  a  model  among  women,"  as  some  of  the  stu- 
dents of  her  noble  husband  called  her,  used  to 
Bay  that  she  thought  that  Betsy  had  experienced 
religion  at  twelve  years  of  age.  Thus  had  she 
been  qualified,  in  sterling  graces  of  character, 
and  in  her  domestic  views  and  habits,  to  fit  her 
exactly  for  the  place  she  was  to  fill.  "A  good 
wife  is  from  the  Lord."  In  this  case  we  see  this 
Divine  interest  exemplified.  The  very  spirit  of 
domestic  peace,  and  comfort,  and  piety,  prudence 
and  courage  to  toil  and  hope  and  wait  in  the 
service  of  life,  were  wedded  to  him  with  his 
comely  and  pious  wife. 

The  new  family  was  a  most  devout  and  godly 
one,  after  the  noblest  Puritan  type,  from  the  day 
that  the  new  pair  established  themselves  in  the 
humble  cabin. 

It  became,  too,  the  scene  of  the  busiest  thrift. 
The    homely   virtues    of   common    sense,    fore- 


THE   LODGE   IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  43 

thought,  economy,  and  iDdustry,  reigned  su- 
preme. *'  Waste  not,  want  not,"  was  not  written 
on  the  cabin  door,  but  the  motto  was  adopted 
and  stringently  adhered  to  within.  The  house 
was  a  very  humble  one.  Standing  on  the  door- 
step you  could  stretch  up  and  touch  the  eaves. 
But  the  intelligence  and  piety,  and  perfect  house- 
wifery, made  it  a  cheerful  and  tidy  one.  It  was 
full  of  comforts.  The  outfit  was  all  of  homespun. 
Mrs.  Wood,  at  the  marriage  of  these,  toward  both 
of  whom  she  felt  the  interest  of  a  mother,  gener- 
ously supplied  them  with  cotton,  linen,  and 
woolen  goods  of  all  kinds,  manufactured  in  her 
own  household,  and  many  of  them  by  her  own 
hands. 

Such  honor  does  Puritanism  place  upon  useful 
industry. 


ill  f|.  li 


(45) 


THE   CHURCH   IN  THE   WILDERNESS.  47 


CHAPTEK  III. 

THE    CHURCH   IN   THE    WILDERNESS. 

A.  D.  1821,  1822. 

[^OW  that  we  have  seen  the  lowly  household 
set  up,  let  us  notice  the  moral  and  religious 
I  condition  of  the  country  around. 

There  was  a  Predestinarian  Baptist  So- 
ciety near,  that  maintained  preaching  once  a 
month,  and  occasional  prayer-meetings.  It  con- 
tained some  excellent  and  pious  families. 

In  another  direction  a  very  zealous  Methodist 
class  had  begun  its  fervent  course.  The  circuit- 
rider,  the  pioneer  at  once  of  religion  and  civil- 
ization, had  penetrated  to  this  field  and  begun 
his  blessed  work.  The  "New  Lights  "  were  also 
operating  in  the  regions  to  the  south  and  west. 
But  the  preaching,  by  whomsoever,  was  at  long 
intervals,  and  was  rude  in  the  extreme.  In  these 
degenerate  days  we  can  scarcely  credit  the  ac- 
counts that  survive  of  the  boisterous  feats  o 
some  of  those  early  laborers.  Before  announcing 
the  text  they  would  coolly  lay  aside  both  coat 


THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

and  vest,  loose  their  throats,  roll  up  their  sleeves, 
and  then  enter  upon  a  strain  of  exhortation, 
growing  more  and  more  vociferous  as  they  pro- 
ceeded, and  the  gestures  more  violent,  until  the 
preacher  became  apparently  quite  frantic;  writh- 
ing, screaming,  stamping,  leaping,  foaming,  like 
the  olden  Pithia;  and  all  this  was  kept  up  du- 
ring the  time  allotted  for  public  worship,  or  until 
the  body,  as  was  sometimes  the  case,  refused  to 
longer  do  its  part  in  the  orgies.  On  the  occasion 
of  a  funeral,  the  roar  of  the  preacher's  voice  was 
often  heard  by  some  young  men  who  were  dig- 
ging the  grave  in  a  wood  one  mile  and  a  half 
distant  from  the  scenes  of  the  parson's  toils. 
Before  we  condemn  this  too  harshly,  we  must 
remember  that  the  times  are  changed.  This  was 
the  only  preaching  that  there  was.  Better  this 
than  nothing;  and  if  the  manner  were  rude,  it 
was  according  to  the  tastes  of  the  rough  and 
hardy  auditory  that  filled  the  benches. 

But  wickedness  prevailed.  The  churches  were 
<' little  flocks."  Morally  everything  was  new, 
rough,  wild,  unsettled.  Sabbath  breaking,  in- 
temperance, and  idleness,  the  usual  vices  of  pio- 
neer life,  abounded.  The  adventurous  spirit  of 
those  who  live  on  the  borders  of  civilization, 
reigned  unbridled.  There  were  many  worthy 
families,  and  the  worst  doubtless  had  some  good 


THE    CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  49 

traits,  but  the  majority  held  the  amenities  and 
restraints  of  more  established  society  in  utter 
contempt.  It  cost  scarcely  any  time  or  labor  to 
raise  enough  from  the  fresh  soil  to  supply  their 
simple  wants,  and  the  rest  of  the  time  was  spent 
in  visiting,  in  hunting,  or  in  neighborhood  frolics 
and  pastimes. 

In  this  state  of  things  any  call  was  sure  to 
bring  out  great  crowds.  "  Militia  musters  "  were 
annual  days  of  concourse.  The  people  flocked 
together  from  all  quarters,  some  to  the  military 
drill,  more  to  see  and  hear  the  novel  and  exciting 
occurrences,  and  many  to  profit  by  the  drinking, 
horse-racing,  gambling,  and  general  dissipation 
that  characterized  the  day.  Of  course  the  mar- 
tial spirit  of  the  occasion  begot  a  quick  indig- 
nation of  all  slights,  insults  and  fancied  wrongs 
in  the  noodles  of  the  tipsy  throng,  and  no  end  of 
manly  kicks,  blows,  fights,  and  other  heroic 
measures  followed.  So  at  house-raisings,  log- 
rollings, elections,  harvest-times,  the  Fourth  of 
July,  Christmas  holidays,  horse-races,  weddings, 
balls — almost  anything,  was  made  the  occasion 
of  a  general  gathering,  and  then  a  merry-make 
would  follow,  and  all  sorts  of  feats  of  strength 
and  agility,  jokes,  pranks  and  tricks  were  looked 
for  and  abounded;  the  madcap  frolic  made  still 
more  to  their  liking  by  the  ever  present  aid  of 
''  mirth-provoking  whisky." 


50  THE   CHURCH   IN   THE    WILDERNESS. 

The  charm  of  those  early  days  was  the  abound- 
ing sociability.  <'  People  used  to  be  so  friendly," 
is  the  universal  impression  that  remains  of  the 
l^ioneer  times>  It  is  a  problem  how  to  preserve 
the  hospitality,  the  generous  spirit  of  social  con- 
fidence and  good  will  that  mark  pioneer  life, 
amidst  the  progress  of  the  country  and  the  im- 
provement of  society. 

Mr.  Bliss  had  some  acquaintance  with  this 
state  of  affairs  before,  but  the  gentle  Puritan 
bride  at  first  quite  lost  heart.  Indeed,  circum- 
stances had  conspired  to  apparently  unfit  her  for 
these  new  scenes. 

Her  closing  years  at  Boscaween  had  been  s-pent 
amidst  the  joys  of  a  most  wonderful  revival. 
The  gracious  season  must  have  been  quite  a 
"Pentecost."  So  long  before  as  February,  1820, 
Anna  Bliss,  who  had  gone  over  to  her  uncle's  to 
share  in  the  blessing,  wrote  to  her  brother  ''  that 
the  attention  to  religion  exceeded  anything  she 
had  ever  heard  of  before."  In  the  following 
November,  Dr.  Wood,  the  pastor  so  honored  of 
Grod,  says  that  "  seven-eighths  of  the  people  had 
professed  to  have  obtained  a  good  hope." 

In  January,  1821,  he  wrote  again  that  the  work 
still  continued:  "God  seems  to  be  gathering  up 
the  fragments,  that  nothing  should  be  lost.  The 
revival  is  general.     The  old  and  young,  rich  and 


THE   CHURCH   IN    THE   WILDERNESS.  51 

poor,  share  together  in  praising  and  glorifying 
their  God."  Such  delightful  scenes  of  spiritual 
life  had  at  once  fitted  and  unfitted  her  for  the 
hardness  and  the  desolation  into  which  she  found 
herself  precipitated.  Her  soul  was  enlightened 
in  gospel  truth  by  them,  her  spiritual  afi'ections 
quickened,  and  she  was  established  in  the  Chris- 
tian graces,  and  moreover  had  the  standard  of  a 
"  church  in  earnest "  in  her  mind,  to  which  her 
plans  and  prayers  and  hopes  would  constantly 
recur. 

Doubtless  through  her  life  the  memory  of  those 
last  days  at  Boscaween  animated  and  rejoiced 
her.  But  on  the  other  hand,  the  sad  contrast 
could  not  but  dep^^ess  her  soul.  It  would  be  like 
a  grating  discord  after  a  sweetly  attuned  har- 
mony.    This,  it  seems,  was  the  first  feeling. 

When  the  day  appointed  for  preaching  came, 
the  family  all  attended.  They  entered  a  long, 
low,  dingy  building,  constructed  of  hewn  logs, 
and  covered  with  clap-boards.  The  smoky  and 
cobwebbed  joices  swayed  down  in  the  middle  by 
their  own  weight,  stretched  from  side  to  side,  with 
some  loose  boards  thrown  over  them.  This  was 
the  best  house  for  public  worship  in  all  the  coun 
try  around.  But  the  simplicity  of  the  sanctuary 
doubtless  accorded  with  the  views  of  these  Puri- 
tans.    Were  they  not  the  descendants  of  those 


52  THE    CHURCH   IN  THE   WILDERNESS. 

men  who  so  abhorred  the  guilty  splendors  of 
Popery  and  Phariseeism,  as  to  break  the  painted 
windows,  and  knock  down  the  statues  of  the 
saints  in  the  semi-popish  churches  and  cathe- 
drals of  England  in  the  days  of  Cromwell  ?  We 
know  not,  but  we  strongly  suspicion  that  they 
were  disposed  to  feel  quite  at  home  in  the  plain 
and  humble  conventicle  in  which  they  were 
called  to  worship. 

But  we  can  imagine  the  surprise  and  dismay  of 
the  tall,  fair  Puritan,  fresh  from  the  hallowed 
scenes  of  Boscaween,  as  she  witnessed  the  per- 
formance that  followed.  The  house,  to  be  sure, 
was  plain  enough  to  suit  their  tastes;  but  alas! 
no  Howe,  nor  Baxter,  nor  Owen,  nor  Flavel, 
was  in  the  pulpit.  As  she  saw  the  parson  take 
off  his  coat,  by  way  of  preparation,  and  then  lis- 
tened to  the  noisy,  extemporaneous  harangue, 
that  grew  more  and  more  deafening  every  mo- 
ment, the  preacher  raving  from  one  side  of  the 
house  to  the  other,  roaring  and  stamping,  bran- 
dishing his  fists  and  streaming  with  perspiration, 
with  little  or  nothing  to  edify  or  comfort  in  it 
all,  she  would  be  well-nigh  shocked  at  the  incon- 
gruity of  the  spectacle.  "  Dear  sister,"  she  wrote 
to  Anna  Bliss,  "  I  often  think  of  the  happy  days 
we  have  passed  together  in  the  enjoyment  of 
those  privileges  which  I  find  I  have  left  behind. 


THE    CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  53 

I  am  at  a  loss  as  to  the  path  of  duty.  Most  of 
the  times  when  I  have  attended  meeting  here,  I 
have  returned  with  regret  that  I  have  spent  my 
time  to  so  little  purpose.  Then  I  stay  at  home, 
until  fearing  that  the  example  may  have  a  bad 
influence,  I  go  again,  and  return  as  little  satisfied 
as  before.  Thus  I  live.  Pray  for  your  affection- 
ate sister."  The  jarring  discord,  we  see,  quite 
unnerved  her. 

But  Mr.  Bliss  speaks  despondingly,  too,  of  the 
barren  and  unedifying  religious  meetings.  He 
seems  to  have  thought  that  the  light  was  well- 
nigh  darkness.  He  was  no  more  than  fairly  set- 
tled, until  the  religious  destitution  of  the  field 
began  to  confront  him.  He  cast  about  him  for 
help.  He  craved  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of 
his  friends  in  New  England.  He  suggests  to 
them  whether  it  was  the  "  better  way  "  for  the 
churches  in  the  East  to  expend  their  sympathies, 
means  and  missionary  efforts  on  foreign  fields  to 
such  an  extent,  while  vast  and  fertile  regions  of 
our  own  country,  fast  filling  up  with  a  teeming 
population,  were  left  to  such  mournful  neglect. 
He  prayed  them  to  send  out  an  evangelist.  But 
such  prayers  are  in  vain.  If  we  are  God's  chil- 
dren, he  assigns  us  a  mission,  and  we  may  be 
sure  he  will  not  raise  np  any  other  one  to  fulfill 
it.     If  our  ears  do  not  heed  the  voice,  they  must 


54  THE    CHURCH    IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

be  opened;  if  the  back  is  not  bent  for  the  burden, 
it  must  needs  be.  It  is  one  great  element  of 
power  in  "the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God"  that 
it  begets  in  the  heart  a  clear  and  explicit  wish,  as 
definite  as  the  love  of  life  itself,  to  fulfill  our  course 
with  joy,  and  the  ministry  that  we  have  received 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  whatever  that  may  be.  Mr. 
Bliss  learned  what  his  life-work  was  by  and  by, 
and  that  no  help  was  to  be  sent  to  take  it  out  of 
his  hands.  How  he  learned  it  the  story  will 
unvail  in  due  time. 

But  the  need  of  a  minister  who  could  "feed 
the  people  with  knowledge  and  with  understand- 
ing," pressed  the  hearts  of  these  saintly  friends. 
As  the  time  passed  this  destitution  grew  more 
grievous.  O  for  the  means  of  grace  that  they 
had  so  slightly  appreciated,  so  abused  in  the 
past,  the  ordinances  that  impart  to  the  wor- 
shiper, to  soul  and  mind  and  heart,  the  "  truth 
and  grace  that  came  by  Jesus  Christ." 

In  the  meantime  the  American  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  was  urging  upon  all  Protestant 
lands  that  grand  and  holy  movement,  the 
"monthly  concert  of  prayer  for  the  conversion 
of  the  world."  The  appeal  touched  a  chord  in  the 
hearts  of  the  three  exiles.  One  evening  in  No- 
vember (the  5th)  they  invited  in  their  neighbors 
and  spent  a  sea«on  in  imj^loring  God  to  extend 


THE    CHURCH    IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  55 

the  triumphs  of  his  mercy  over  all  the  earth,  and 
to  send  the  light  and  comforts  of  the  gospel  to 
them  who  sat  in  darkness,  and  in  the  region  of 
the  shadow  of  death.  We  can. readily  imagine 
how  fervently  they  would  pray  for  such  objects. 
The  next  month  they  held  another  meeting,  and 
so  on  for  years,  until  at  last  it  was  changed  into 
a  weekly  "  prayer-meeting,"  that  still  continues, 
a  praise  and  a  blessing  in  the  church  that  grew 
out  of  it.  Thus  another  "well  in  the  wilderness" 
was  opened. 

But  happy  changes  were  at  hand.  Before 
going  on  to  detail  these,  an  incident  closely  con- 
nected with  them  must  be  noticed.  About  the 
time  that  Mr.  Bliss  and  his  companion  were  com- 
ing across  the  country,  as  before  related,  Cyrus 
Danforth,  Esq.,  from  the  neighborhood  of  the 
beautiful  Cayuga  Lake,  'New  York,  was  descend- 
ing the  Ohio  Eiver  in  a  keel  boat,  with  his  family 
and  a  party  of  relatives,  seeking  a  new  home. 
The  point  for  which  he  aimed  was  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana.  By  the  time,  however,  he  had  come  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  Eiver,  the  summer  was 
so  far  advanced  and  the  waters  so  low  that  he  could 
only  reach  the  foot  of  the  Grand  Eaj)ids,  and  fear- 
ing to  stay  on  the  river  during  the  sickly  season, 
he  took  his  family  out  some  seven  miles  or  so  to  an 
airy,  open  prairie,  to  await  the  rise  of  the  stream. 


56  THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

Thus  by  one  of  those  quiet  but  decisive  events 
by  which  Providence  chooses  our  lot,  this  gentle- 
man's home  was  established  on  Barney's  prairie, 
five  miles  southwest  of  Mr.  Eliss*.  He  was  so 
pleased  with  the  apjoearance  of  the  country  on 
seeing  it  that  he  concluded  to  go  no  farther,  and 
settled.  He  was  an  ardent  Presbyterian,  and  a 
man  of  intelligence  and  property.  Both  of  these 
families  had  thus  been  settled  in  their  wilderness 
homes  more  than  three  years,  and  both  had  been 
earnestly  praying  and  looking  for  an  evangelist 
and  asking  to  be  directed  aright. 

God,  who  never  despises  the  prayer  for  light 
and  guidance  of  those  who  would  trust  and  serve 
him,  suddenly  brought  them  a  friend  and  coun- 
selor. The  striking  providence  that  directed 
him  to  their  doors  is  too  instructive  to  be  over- 
looked, 

In  1818  a  young  man  was  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  named  David  Choate  Proctor.  In 
1821  he  finished  his  course  in  divinity  at  Ando- 
ver  Theological  Seminary.  As  soon  as  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  he  was  sent  out  to  the  West 
as  an  itinerant  missionary  by  the  "  Connecticut 
Missionary  Association."  Reaching  Indianapolis 
late  in  the  autumn,  and  finding  the  church  there 
vacant,  he  engaged  to  supply  them  until  spring. 
As  soon  as  the  severity  of  the  winter  was  passed 


THE    CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  57 

he  pushed  on  for  Missouri,  the  field  of  labor  to 
which  he  had  been  commissioned.  He  crossed 
the  country  on  horseback  in  the  spring  of  1822. 
About  the  first  of  March,  on  his  way,  he  ferried 
the  Wabash  Eiver  late  one  evening,  and  found 
lodging  at  a  little  village  of  cabins,  on  the  west 
bank,  called  Mt.  Carmel. 

In  the  morning,  on  preparing  to  start  on  his 
journey,  his  horse  was  discovered  to  be  lame. 
Unable  to  travel,  he  was  compelled  to  delay. 
Faithful  to  the  errand  on  which  he  was  going, 
he  began  to  inquire  into  the  religious  condition 
of  the  country,  and  among  other  things  he  was 
told  of  two  Presbyterian  families,  settled,  one 
seven  and  the  other  twelve  miles  north,  on  the 
prairies.  He  set  out  as  soon  as  possible  to  find 
them.  Pushing  on  through  thickets  and  woods 
and  patches  of  prairie  land,  he  at  last  came  to  a 
scanty  settlement,  and  alighting  at  one  of  the 
cabins  he  knocked.  The  door  was  opened  by  a 
comely  young  girl,  with  the  intelligence  of  other 
scenes  sparkling  in  her  eyes  and  mantling  over 
her  face.  He  was  satisfied  at  once.  Without 
stopping  to  make  any  inquiries,  he  stalked  right 
in,  shaking  hands  with  all  he  met,  and  exclaim- 
ing, "I  feel  perfectly  at  home  here.  I  am  on 
Presbyterian  ground,  I  know."  His  enthusiasm 
was  cordially  reciprocated.     As  he  told  his  holy 


58  THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

errand,  their  sympathies  flowed  together,  and 
they  rejoiced  in  the  wonderful  goodness  of  God, 
by  whose  providence  they  had  thus  met  in  this 
"solitary  place." 

The  next  morning  (March  2)  they  all  set  out, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Danforth  and  Mrs.  Winters  (a  sis- 
ter of  Mrs.  D.)  and  the  Eev.  Mr.  Proctor,  for 
Mr.  Bliss'.  \Ye  can  fancy  the  scene  at  the  meet- 
ing of  these  brethren — their  surprise  and  delight. 
If  they  could  have  looked  forward  for  forty-four 
years  and  seen  the  results  of  that  interview  under 
the  oaks,  they  would  have  rejoiced  still  more. 
They  dined  together  bravely  that  day.  They 
mingled  their  enjoyment  of  the  simple  cheer 
made  ready  for  them  by  the  "  neat-handed"  hos- 
tess with  many  a  burst  of  heartfelt  gratitude  to 
God,  and  tales  of  past  adventures,  present  straits, 
and  plans,  hopes  and  dreams  of  the  future.  Four 
men  surrounded  that  little  table  spread  in  the 
wilderness,  and  three  of  them  were  graduates 
and  the  fourth  was  wise-hearted  beyond  his  gen- 
eration and  "mighty  in  the  Scriptures."  By  the 
hands  of  such  men  did  Presbyterianism  propose 
to  lift  her  fair  and  ancient  banner  in  this  remote 
field. 

Sabbath  morning  they  met  with  a  large  congre- 
gation at  a  school- house  near  Mr.  Danforth's,  and 
Mr.  Proctor  preached.     Mr.  May  says  that  his 


THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS.  69 

theme  was  "Human  Depravity,  and  the  Gospel 
Kemedy."  On  Tuesday  he  preached  again  at  the 
school-house,  and  the  five  friends,  Mr.  Bliss  and 
Mr.  Danforth,  and  their  wives,  and  Mr.  May, 
were  organized  into  a  church,  styled  the  "  First 
Pre.^byterian  Church  in  Edwards  County."  Mr. 
Bliss  and  Mr.  May  were  elected  ruling  elders, 
and  Mr.  Danforth,  deacon. 

Wednesday  evening  Mr.  Proctor  preached  in 
the  cabin  to  a  congregation  as  large  as  could  be 
crowded  into  it.  Sabbath  morning  he  preached  at 
the  school-house  again,  on  the  Scripture  doctrine 
of  "  Justification  by  Faith,"  and  on  Monday  even- 
ing, the  11th,  he  preached  at  the  cabin,  the  last 
sermon  to  the  little  flock  he  had  gathered,  on  the 
Spirituality  of  God.  John  iv.  24.  The  next 
morning  he  took  his  leave  of  the  brethren  and 
departed. 

So  they  were  left  again,  but  not  as  they  had 
been  found.  They  were  now  bound  together  by 
the  new  tie  of  church  fellowship,  and  the  vows  of 
God  were  upon  them  The  sublime  work  for 
which  the  Church  of  God  exists  in  this  world  was 
committed  now  to  their  hands  to  promote  in  a 
wide  and  needy  field.  But  who  would  lead  them? 
Who  could  supply  them  with  the  means  of  grace? 
"  The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers 
are  few."     These  considerations  were  now  added 


€0  THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 

to  all  the  motives  that  existed  before  for  faithful- 
ness and  devout  energy,  and  the  elders  were 
"  pressed  in  spirit "  under  a  sense  of  their  new 
responsibility  for  the  welfare  of  the  cause  of 
Christ. 


(61): 


THE    PREPARATION.  63 


CHAPTER  lY. 

THE       PREPARATION. 

A.     D.    1822    TO    1824. 


f 


ROYIDENCES  are  a  means  of  grace  to  the 

righteous.  The  circumstances  that  surround 
them  are  the  furnace  in  which  grace  puri- 
fies them,  or  the  sacred  asylum  in  which  they 
are  nursed  in  the  lap  of  rest  and  devotion,  like 
Elijah  at  the  brook  Cherith,  or  Paul  in  Arabia, 
until  they  are  prepared  for  the  further  service 
that  awaits  them,  or  the  river  of  Grod,  that  bears 
them  on  its  mighty  current  to  new  scenes  of  duty 
and  effort.  The  true  prayer  for  grace  is  always 
answered,  and  providences,  dark  or  bright,  are 
often  made  the  messengers  to  bring  us  the  divin- 
est  blessings.  Thus,  the  prayer  unto  the  Lord, 
"increase  our  faith,"  is  often  being  fulfilled  by 
the  disciples  being  brought  into  straits,  where 
the  real  vanity  of  earthly  helps  or  comforts  is 
seen,  and  God's   unrealized  promises  come  out? 


64  THE    PREPARATION. 

like  the  stars,  to  shine  with  beams  of  purest 
luster.  So,  if  the  spirit  of  obedience  be  in  the 
heart,  and  the  sigh  after  usefulness,  the  oppor- 
tunity shall  not  long  be  wanting.  The  Lord  of 
all  the  earth  will  open  the  door  before  us,  not 
possibly  the  one  we  should  have  selected,  but  the 
one  he  sees  best.  But  what  if  we  hesitate  to 
enter  ?  Alas,  how  much  rebellion  there  is  in  our 
hearts  after  we  thought  them  subdued!  Then 
comes  the  school  of  providence  to  instruct  and 
direct.  The  by-paths  are  hedged  up,  the  busy 
life  yields  no  fruit,  sorrows  fall,  and  storms  seem 
to  lurk  in  the  air,  until  we  turn  our  feet  to  the 
way  of  his  commandments;  and  lo!  "we  find 
rest  to  our  souls."  If  the  harbor  is  open,  and  the 
bark  still  loiters  out  on  the  sea,  then  the  winds 
begin  to  blow  until  she  escapes  into  port. 

In  the  period  on  which  we  enter  now,  we  shall 
have  but  little  to  do  with  the  indoor  life  of  the 
prairie  cabin.  We  shall  stand  without,  and 
behold  how  God  deals  with  them  who  are  willing 
to  be  his  servants,  but  who  falter  at  the  service 
he  demands.  We  shall  hear  the  voices  that  called 
to  the  calm  and  philosophical  inmates,  and  see  the 
winds  ruffling  up  the  quiet  leaves  of  the  aged  oaks 
above  them. 

We  have  seen  how  these  brethren  were  inter- 
ested in  the  Sabbath-school  work,  before  the  com-: 


THE    PREPARATION.  65 

ing  of  Mr.  Proctor.  After  his  departure  they 
were  openly  committed  to  the  promotion  of  relig- 
ion, and  new  vows  enlisted  them  in  the  service  of 
Christ.  And  then,  they  were  alone.  Far  or 
near,  they  knew  of  no  church  of  like  faith  and 
order,  with  which  they  could  take  counsel,  or 
join  in  employing  a  minister.  Whatever  was 
to  be  done  in  the  wide  field  before  them,  there 
were  but  few  to  do,  and  all  the  responsibility  in 
the  case  was  narrowed  down  to  their  hands,  and 
could  not  be  shifted.  Providence  thus  conspired 
with  grace  to  arouse  them  to  duty,  and  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  find  that  they  girded  themselves  seriously 
to  the  work.  The  Sabbath-school  and  monthly 
concert  were  carried  on.  But  the  thought  that 
they  were  fulfilling  all  the  missions  of  a  church 
by  these  instrumentalities  was  not  to  be  enter- 
tained. They  determined  to  institute  Sabbath 
services,  "  reading  meetings,"  as  they  called  them. 
June  9th  they  met,  for  the  first  time,  in  this  exer- 
cise, in  the  log  school-house  in  the  prairie  south 
of  Mr.  Bliss',  the  dingy  "conventicle  "  described 
above.  Mr.  Bliss  read  a  sermon,  each  one  "  had 
a  psalm,  or  a  word  of  instruction,"  and  all  joined 
together  in  prayers.  This  service,  that  had  in  it 
the  elements  of  great  usefulness,  was  designed  to 
supply  their  lack  of  the  ministry  of  the  word, 
until  God  should  hear  their  cries  and  send  them 
a  pastor. 


66  THE    PREPARATION. 

How  admirably  was  this !  If  the  ruling  elders 
in  vacant  churches  all  felt  thus,  felt  that  this  was 
implied  in  the  vows  of  their  holy  office,  and  would 
seek  to  edify,  comfort,  and  encourage  "  all  the 
flock  over  which  the  Hol}^  Ghost  hath  made  them 
bishops,  to  feed  the  church  of  God  which  he  hath 
purchased  with  his  own  blood,"  how  soon  would 
the  "  desolate  places  be  inhabited,"  and  the  spring 
of  future  prosperity  be  set  open,  with  a  full, 
unwasting  flow. 

The  right  motive,  we  see,  was  at  work  in  their 
breasts,  a  quiet,  very  quiet,  but  unquenchable 
interest,  nay,  in  their  calm  way,  zeal,  but  no 
readiness,  as  yet,  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Bliss,  the 
scholar,  the  divinity  student,  the  man  on  whom 
God  had  poured  such  light  and  grace,  to  enter  on 
the  work  himself  of  preaching  the  gospel.  The 
vessel  is  still  loitering,  with  its  precious  freight 
around  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  but  the  winds 
begin  to  blow  more  heavily. 

Only  a  few  weeks  had  passed  after  they  had 
settled  upon  this  humble, service,  when  they  were 
met  with  a  stunning  stroke.  One  day  in  July,  a 
withering  sultry  day,  the  faithful  May  was  una- 
ble to  go  out  into  the  fields.  The  symptoms  were 
those  of  fever.  Nothing  serious  was  apprehended 
at  first;  but  two  or  three  days  after  we  find  Mr. 
Bliss  leaving  his  outdoor  work  to  watch  day  and 


THE    PREPARATION.  67 

night  by  the  bedside  of  his  suffering  friend.  A 
physician  was  called  in,  and  for  a  few  days  he 
seemed  to  rally  under  the  treatment;  but  on  Sat- 
urday afternoon,  August  3d,  the  fever  returned 
with  great  violence  and  he  sank  rapidly.  Sab- 
bath evening,  a  cool  and  peaceful  evening,  at  9 
o'clock,  he  departed  this  life.  So  at  last  the  two 
friends  were  separated ! 

How  strange  it  seems  to  go  back  and  look  in 
on  this  quiet  tragedy  in  the  hushed  cabin,  to 
stand  by  this  sick  bed  at  midsummer  and  hear 
the  farewells  and  weep  tears  of  unutterable  sad- 
ness as  the  noble  spirit  takes  its  flight;  and  then 
to  awake  to  the  fact  that  the  memory  of  this 
blighted  life  is  faded  almost  utterly  from  the 
earth.  All  the  eyes  that  wept  over  his  untimely 
death  have  forgotten  their  tears.  The  hearts 
that  knew  the  loveliness  of  his  character  and 
spirit,  have  all  withdrawn  long  ago  from  this 
weary  sphere. 

The  impression  of  his  undeveloped  life  on  this 
noisy  world  is  not  perished,  for  moral  influence 
once  exerted  is  immortal,  but  obscured:  like  a 
mediaeval  hymn  of  glory  written  in  palimpsest, 
that  has  been  overwritten  again  and  again  by 
later  hands,  with  ballad,  or  idle  tale,  or  story  of 
kings  and  courts.  But  as  it  is  with  all  the  right- 
eous, "  his  record  is  on  high,"  and  the  memory  of 


68  THE    PREPARATION. 

his  worth  and  virtues  still  lingers  around  any 
story  of  those  early  days,  like  the  perfume  of 
unseen  flowers. 

On  Monday  he  was  buried  in  a  family  grave- 
yard, on  a  farm  belonging  to  Thomas  Banks. 
This  worthy  man  had  been  accustomed  to  hold 
religious  meetings  at  his  house  from  a  very  early 
day.  When  the  two  pilgrims  came,  in  1818,  there 
they  first  went  to  "  pay  their  vows."  And  now, 
that  one  of  them  was  gone,  it  seemed  fitting  that 
his  grave  should  be  made  hard  by  the  hallowed 
place  where  he  had  first  greeted  '*  brethren  in 
Christ,"  in  this  strange  land,  and  joined  in  the 
public  worship  of  God. 

The  history  of  this  private  burial  grpund  is  the 
common  one.  When  the  churchyard,  near  by, 
was  opened,  it  ceased  to  be  used  as  a  place  of 
interment,  and  fell  more  and  more  into  neglect 
and  dilapidation.  Nothing,  alas!  could  be  more 
lonely  nor  forlorn  than  this  scene  is  now.  The 
rest  of  the  field  has  been  cultivated  to  some 
extent  in  these  long  years,  but  the  plowshare 
could  not  cut  through  the  turf  over  these  graves, 
and  the  thorns  and  brambles  have  the  spot  all  to 
themselves.  It  is  a  wild  thicket,  a  place  for 
boding  owls. 

As  the  wanderer  steals  silently  around  the 
decayed   plantation,  he  sees    the   long,  tangled 


THE    PREPARATION.  69 

wands  of  the  blackberry,  the  wild  rose,  the  witch- 
hazle,  and  the  tall  yellow  tufts  of  the  prairie 
grass,  beckon  and  sway  in  the  air  over  the  tombs. 
Will  some  "  Old  Mortality  "  ever  come  to  peer 
into  the  lonely  copse,  and  hunt  up  the  forgotten 
names  and  history  of  the  sleepers  buried  there? 

Mournfully  the  stricken  friends  returned  to 
their  homes.  What  sad  news  must  go  back  to 
Grlover  and  Plymouth !  Yain  now  were  all  the 
little  gifts  and  tokens  of  love  that  Mr.  and  Mrs* 
Bliss  had  brought  their  sainted  friend  from  the 
East.  Yain  the  plans  and  hopes  that  had  clus- 
tered around  his  contemplated  trip  in  the  fall  to 
wed  his  affianced  bride.  All  was  over  now,  the 
fair  dream  vanished,  the  almost  finished  sanctu- 
ary of  mortal  love  in  ashes! 

The  first  efi^ect  of  this  sad  breach  was  to  de- 
press and  discourage  the  survivors.  The  "  read- 
ing meetings  "  were  suspended,  at  least  for  the 
present.  The  vanity  of  human  life  seems  to  have 
been  felt  so  keenly  in  this  providence  that  the 
arousing  call  to  diligence  and  energy  during  the 
brief  day,  they  were  not  yet  prepared  to  heed. 

A  few  days  later  a  most  unmistakable  but  sin- 
gular intimation  of  the  Divine  will  was  given 
him.  In  the  previous  January,  his  venerable 
kinsman,  Dr.  Wood,  had  written  him  that  he  had 
brought  his  case  before  the  association  again,  that 


70  THE    PREPARATION. 

all  the  members  were  ready  to  do  anything  that 
they  could  to  put  him  into  the  ministry;  that  if 
he  would  signify  his  belief  in  the  "eternal  exist- 
ence and  real  divinity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
('which  I  told  them,'  says  the  Doctor,  'I  was 
confident  that  you  had  always  believed'),  he  could 
procure  him  a  full  license  to  preach  the  gospel,  if 
he  desired  it,  and  a  '  license '  could  do  him  no 
hurt."  Mr.  Bliss  hesitated  to  take  this  decisive 
step,  and  while  he  hesitated  the  Hopkinton  Asso- 
ciation met.  The  Doctor,  who  knew  his  cautious 
nephew  well,  made  such  a  statement  of  the  case 
that  a  full  license  was  granted  and  the  aged  patri- 
arch had  the  pleasure  of  transmitting  it  to  his 
son  in  the  gospel,  with  the  assurance  in  his  own 
mind  that  sooner  or  later  it  would  lead  to  much 
good.  It  reached  him  August  19th,  just  two 
weeks  after  the  burial  of  his  faithful  friend.  It 
did  not  decide  him,  but  the  call  did  seem  very 
clear  to  his  ear.  He  had  thought  so,  however, 
once  before,  and  then  when  he  bad  essayed  to 
enter  the  ministry  he  had  been  stopped  on  the 
threshold,  and  now  he  would  take  counsel  of  no 
flattering  appearances. 

Bat  the  winds  are  blowing  and  filling  the  sails. 

Toward  the  close  of  September  he  was  sur- 
prised one  day  to  hear  that  there  was  to  be  Pres- 
byterian preaching  on  Sabbath  (the  22d),  at  a 


THE    PREPARATION.  71 

place  about  seven  miles  to  the  r.orth  of  him.  He 
had  known  of  no  brethren  so  near.  Bat  the 
rumor  kept  brooding  in  the  country-side,  and  on 
the  day  appointed  he  started  out  in  quest  of  the 
promised  pleasure.  He  found  the  report  -true. 
A  minister  was  there  and  a  company  of  most  hos- 
pitable brethren  to  greet  him.  The  acquaint- 
ances formed  that  day  were  very  important  in 
their  influence  over  his  future  career.  The  min- 
ister was  the  Eev.  Samuel  Thornton  Scott,  of 
Yincennes,  a  laborer  of  long  experience  in  the 
frontier  and  a  man  of  excellent  spirit.  The 
brethren  were  a  group  of  families  from  Ken- 
tucky, the  Dennisons  from  near  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky, and  the  Buckanans  from  Gallatin  County. 
But  few  of  them  were  at  that  time  in  the  Church, 
but  among  them  he  afterward  labored  and  gath- 
ered many  souls. 

Thus  God  cheered  his  conscientious  servant  and 
opened  the  way  for  his  timorous  steps.  Under  it 
all  we  can  discover  that  he  was  quickened.  In- 
stead of  closing  the  Sabbath-school  as  before  in 
the  fall,  he  carried  it  on  all  winter.  Another 
blended  Sabbath-school  and  prayer-meeting  be 
organized  in  the  Danforth  School-house  the  next 
spring.  We  find  him  also  visiting  the  sick  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1823. 

But  no  apparent  progress  was  made.     God  was 


72  THE    PREPARATION. 

pleased  to  give  liim  no  fruit  of  all  his  labors. 
He  had  certainly  made  full  proof  of  each  of  these 
methods  of  doing  good  service  yet  adopted.  He 
had  wrought  now  four  years  in  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  for  nearly  two  in  the  monthly  con- 
cert and  other  forms  of  social  meetings;  but,  so 
far  as  he  knew,  not  one  soul  had  been  converted 
nor  one  name  added  to  the  Church.  He  had  used 
but  ''  side  efforts,"  and  all  his  faithfulness  could 
not  make  them  fill  the  place  of  the  one  great 
means  for  promoting  religion.  "  It  pleased  God 
by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to  save  them  that 
believe."*  All  other  means,  as  highly  as  we  may 
prize  them  and  as  diligently  as  we  may  employ 
them,  will  be  found  subsidiary  to  a  "  j)reached 
gospel."  When  "  God's  word  distills  as  the  dew  " 
in  the  sanctuary,  then  every  part  of  the  divine 
service — the  prayer-meeting,  the  Sabbath-school, 
the  Bible-class  —  is  full  of  refreshment,  each 
sweetly  supplementing  the  other,  and  all  helping 
together  toward  the  happy  result.  But,  "  how 
shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?  "  Mr.  Bliss 
knew  all  this  before,  but  after  his  experience  he 
began  to  feel  its  solemn  power  as  a  personal  argu- 
ment for  him  to  do  what  he  could  in  the  "  gospe 
ministry  "  in  the  destitute  field  around  him. 

The  winds   have   blown   steadily,  and  in  the 

*1  Cor.  i.  21. 


THE     PREPARATION.  73 

midst  of  the  gale  we  are  permitted  to  see  the 
prow  of  the  bark  turning  at  last  toward  the  har- 
bor. 

August  3d,  just  one  year  from  the  death  of  the 
sainted  May,  at  the  Danforth  School-house,  sur- 
rounded by  the  teachers  in  the  Sabbath- school 
many  of  the  scholars,  and  all  of  his  brethren  in 
the  Lord,  he  stood  up  to  begin  his  ministry.  It 
is  like  this  humble  man  in  his  brief  record  of  this 
interesting  event  to  exclaim,  "Oh!  my  barren- 
ness." But  whatever  his  own  feelings  were  the 
brethren  were  greatly  cheered.  They  discerned 
in  the  modest,  carefully  meditated  sermon,  the 
promise  of  his  future  usefulness.  "  It  was  a  good 
sermon,"  said  a  venerable  elder  thirty  years  after- 
ward, with  a  subdued  emphasis  on  the  adjective 
"  good."  "  What  do  you  mean  when  you  say  it 
was  good?  "     "It  was  plain  and  edifying." 

August  3d,  1823,  he  assumed  the  duties  of  the 
ministry  as  a  licentiate  of  the  Hoj^kinton  Asso- 
ciation, Was  he  a  pastor?  Technically  he  was 
not,  and  yet  in  fact  he  was.  He  settled  by  the 
wish  of  the  congregation  in  the  charge  of  the 
Church  and  thus  remained  until  his  death. 

From  this  auspicious  day  the  harvest  began. 
Two  persons  connected  with  the  Church  that  af- 
ternoon, the  first  additions.  These  were  Thomas 
Oould,  Esq.,  and  his  wife,  who  had  come  into  the 


74  THE    PREPARATION. 

country  in  1816  from  Ohio.  This  gentleman  was 
shortly  after  elected  a  ruling  elder,  and  served 
the  Church  in  that  office  until  hisMeath  at  a  ven- 
erable age  in  1854.  From  this  time  forth  until 
the  close  of  Mr.  Bliss'  ministry  there  was  but  one 
year  when  the  Church  did  not  receive  from  one 
to  twenty-four  additions.  Such  honor  does  God 
put  upon  the  preaching  of  his  word,  and  so  vital 
is  it  in  the  promotion  of  his  work  of  mercy  in 
this  world. 

Thus,  at  last,  at  the  ripe  age  of  thirty  six  years, 
this  cautious  man,  pressed  forward  as  we  have 
seen  by  gracious  motives  within,  and  providences 
around  him,  entered  the  sacred  office.  But  the 
reader  must  know  that  it  was  only  hesitatingly 
and  as  an  experiment.  He  was  testing  the  call 
that  seemed  to  appeal  to  him  from  every  side, 
whither  indeed  it  could  be  the  call  of  God. 

Having  undertaken  this  work,  it  seems  to 
have  been  his  earnest  purpose  to  make  full  proof 
of  his  capability  for  usefulness.  The  next  Sab- 
bath morning  he  preached  again  in  the  Danforth 
School-house,  and  not  long  after  at  Mr.  Gould's 
residence,  seven  miles  to  the  southeast,  nestled 
among  the  magnificent  forests  of  the  Wabash 
River,  and  then  later  still  at  the  dingy  school- 
house  near  his  home.  So  the  Puritan  wife  was 
permitted  at  last  to  see  a  true  successor  of  Ro- 


THE    PREPARATION.  75 

maine  and  Flavel  preachiDg  Christ,  and  faith  in 
his  blood,  in  the  rude  "  conventicle." 

1824.  At  the  opening  of  the  next  spring  he 
visited  the  venerable  '^  Father  Scott,"  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  communion  season  in  his  Church.  This 
truly  excellent  man  was  still  toiling  on  in  his  field 
with  rare  devotion  and  energy.  He  had  come  to 
Vincennea  in  1803,  when  General  Harrison  was 
Governor  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana.  He  had 
been  reared  in  Kentucky,  educated  at  Transyl- 
vania Academy,  and  studied  Divinity  with  Dr. 
James  Blythe.  He  was  a  faithful  laborer,  and  in 
the  course  of  a  few  years  had  gathered  three  con- 
gregations, to  whom  he  preached  until  the  end 
of  his  career. 

This  meeting  was  held  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Indiana  Church  (which  had  been  founded  in 
1802  by  Samuel  B.  Eobinson,  of  Kentucky),  five 
miles  north  of  Vincennes.  Long  before,  Mr. 
Scott  tad  erected  a  rude  platform  in  the  woods, 
and  supplied  a  plentiful  amount  of  rustic  benches, 
and  thither  his  fervent  spirit  had  gathered  the 
people  for  religious  worship.  Here  in  this  se- 
questered, sylvan  sanctuary,  God  had  been 
pleased  to  show  his  faithful  servant  his  glory  in 
times  of  spiritual  blessings,  and  the  whole  roman- 
tic scene  was  sacred.  Mr.  Scott  was  fond  of  these 
open-air  meetings.     He  had   been    in  this   field 


76  THE     PREPARATION. 

now  ior  tweniy  years,  and  had  cultivated  this 
simple  service  from  feeble  beginnings  to  a  state  of 
very  considerable  popular  interest.  Mr.  Bliss 
says  that  at  the  meeting  in  question  the  congre- 
gations sometimes  numbered  more  than  a  thou- 
sand hearers.  This  is  more  surprising  when  we 
remember  that  the-  city  of  Vincennes  was  then 
but  a  trifling  Catholic  village,  a  French  trading 
post.  The  throng  must  have  gathered  from  a 
long  distance  around.  Such  fruit  of  confidence 
and  affection  had  Father  Scott's  life  produced. 

No  one  can  tell  the  good  that  has  been  accom- 
plished in  the  long  years  by  these  open-air  meet- 
ings The  truth  then  preached  to  the  great  con- 
gregation was  really  sown  far  and  wide  through 
the  land,  errors  were  confuted,  and  multitudes 
received  instruction  in  divine  things  that  would 
not  otherwise  have  been  reached.  These  free, 
familiar  meetings,  in  the  silent  summer  woods, 
were  the  precious  seed-time  to  the  souls  of  the 
scattered  adventurous  frontiersmen. 

The  system  of  preaching  in  the  open  air,  estab- 
lished by  the  Saviour  himself  and  followed  by 
His  apostles,  has  fallen  into  sad  neglect  in  mod- 
ern times.  Here  and  there  a  few  of  the  most 
zealous  of  God's  servants — such  as  some  of  the 
reformers  on  the  Continent  and  Scotland,  Wesley 
and    Whitfield   in    England;   Howell  Harris,    of 


THE    PREPARATION.  77 

Wales — have  borne  witness  to  its  expediency  and 
efficacy  by  their  fearless  and  cordial  adoption  of 
it.     But  these  are  rare  and  isolated  cases      The 
rule  in    the    Presbyterian    Church   is  more    and 
more  a  settled  departure  from  the  primitive  mode 
of  missionary  operation      The  work  of  an  Evan- 
gelist is  falling  out  of  use  as  a  means  of  reaching 
the  masses.     Whereas,  all  this  time  there  is  one 
trait   in   the   popular   character   that  places  the 
people  within  ttj^  reach  of  this  means,  who  would 
otherwise  neglectXhe  gospel  message,  and  that  is 
their   love   of   eloquence!      It    distinguishes   the 
masses.     On  the  frontiers  it  is  especially  conspic- 
uous.    People  go  great  distances  to  hear  new  or 
favorite  preachers.     This  feature  should  be  con- 
sidered and  devoutly  provided  for  by  the  friends 
of  Jesus.     In  new  countries  many  things  are  un- 
favorable  to   the   preaching    of  the   gospel;   the 
thin  settlements,  the  poor  roads,  the  lack  of  relig- 
ious ties,  the  free  adventurous  character  of  the 
pioneers;  but  these  disadvantages  are  more  than 
offset   by  their   natural    love    of  eloquence.      A 
meeting   to  which    any  importance   is  attached, 
will  attract  the  people,  far  and  near,  and  if  the 
preachers  are  worthy  of  the  occasion,  the  impres- 
sion upon  the  restless  and  undecided  throng  will 
be   salutary  and  abiding      These  open-air  meet- 
ings  wisely  conducted,  not  as  a  holiday  picnic 


78  THE     PREPARATION. 

but  a  time  of  fasting,  prayer,  and  most  fervent 
evangelistic  labors  in  destitute  regions,  were 
among  the  means  adopted  by  the  fathers  of  Pres- 
byterianism  in  New  Jersey,  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, Kentucky,  and  throughout  the  South,  and 
with  the  happiest  results.  "  Field  preaching  " 
was  the  chief  great  agency  used  in  that  great 
revival  of  religion  which  saved  England  from 
Infidelity  and  Popery — the  revival  under  Whit- 
field and  the  Wesleys.  And  to  come  down  to  the 
present  generation,  the  revival  in  Ireland  in  1859 
was  the  direct  result  of  this  evangelistic  system 
of  labor.  In  1851  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of  Bel- 
fast, moved  by  the  religious  destitution  existing 
in  the  land,  instituted  the  first  organized  effort 
of  modern  times  (so  far  as  we  can  learn),  to  carry 
the  gospel  to  the  masses  who  would  not,  or  could 
not,  enter  the  house  of  God,  by  preaching  to  them 
in  their  haunts  in  the  open  air.  God  blessed  the 
work  so  abundantly  that  all  the  other  Synods 
were  induced  to  take  it  up.  Year  by  year  the 
number  of  ministers  engaged  in  it  increased,  and 
the  number  of  towns,  villages  and  hamlets  visited 
and  the  services  held.  This  thorough  system  of 
«' field  preaching"  went  on  with  growing  tokens 
of  good,  until,  in  1859,  God's  Spirit  crowned  the 
effort  with  a  "  Pentecostal  "  blessing  in  "the  great 
revival  in  Ireland,"  which  extended  over  almost 
every  part  of  the  land. 


THE     PREPARATION.  79 

It  certainly  is  to  be  noticed  with  joy  and  grati- 
tude how  this  thought  of  reaching  the  masses 
with  the  gospel  is  so  rising  among  the  Churches. 
None  scarcely  are  satisfied  now  with  the  quiet 
routine  of  ordinances  in  the  sanctuary;  they  must 
needs  go  out  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city, 
and  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  bring  in  the 
neglected  and  the  outcast.  Street  preaching, 
field  preaching,  open-air  meetings,  are  the  growth 
of  a  new  and  fervent  zeal  for  the  saU^ation  of  the 
forgotten  masses.  The  poor  and  the  unfortunate 
and  the  fallen  will  not  come  into  the — not  to 
speak  of  magnificent  temples  where  they  are 
neither  expected  nor  their  presence  desired— staid 
and  orderly  sanctuary,  where  all  is  silent,  grave, 
wise,  restrained.  They  are  reminded  too  strongly 
of  their  misfortunes.  The  motive  may  not  be 
right,  but  it  operates,  and  has  in  all  ages  of  the 
Church  kept  multitudes  beyond  the  pale  of 
mercy.  Now  the  conviction  isbeginning  to  arouse 
the  Churches  that^^we  are  verily  our  brother's 
keeper,  and  the  office  of  the  missionary  and 
evangelist  is  beginning  to  assume  its  rightful  im- 
portance in  Christian  work. 

Father  Scott  had  thus  labored,  not  only  as  a 
pastor  but  as  a  missionary  in  all  the  region 
around,  and  to  crown  and  supplement  his  other 
efforts  he  had  held  each  year  a  protracted  meet- 


80  THE     PREPARATION. 

ing  at  a  convenient  place  for  the  surrounding 
settlements.  Tlie  "stand"  referred  to  was  built 
in  the  woods.  These  familiar  services  were  con- 
tinued during  the  life  of  this  venerated  veteran. 

In  the  autumn  (Sept.  18th)  Mr.  Scott  repaid 
the  visit  and  a  communion  season  occurred  of 
much  interest.  Eight  persons  were  added  to  the 
Church  on  examination,  and  twelve  children 
were  baptized.  It  was  the  first  Presbyterian 
communion  meeting  ever  held  in  the  country, 
and  curiosity  ran  high.  The  concourse  on  Sab- 
bath was  very  great  and  the  service  was  held  at 
a  "  New  Light  "  camp  ground  one-half  mile  south 
of  the  present  village  of  Friendsville. 

It  was  said  above  that  Mr.  Bliss'  pulpit  labors 
were  only  an  experiment  in  his  own  estimation, 
a  test  of  his  capacity  for  usefulness  in  the  minis- 
try. The  result  seemed  to  him  so  unsatisfactory 
that  at  this  date  he  was  quite  undecided,  if  not 
positively  inclined  to  lay  down  the  work.  We 
infer  this  from  the  fact  that  at  this  meeting  he 
was  solemnly  ordained  and  set  apart  to  the  office 
of  ruling  elder  in  Wabash  Church,  to  which  he 
had  been  elected  at  its  organization.  In  a  letter 
to  his  father  explaining  his  course  he  says:  "  T 
have  so  little  time  for  reflection  on  account  of  the 
worldly  labors  required  to  support  my  family  in 
this   new  country,  and    being  compelled  by  the 


THE    PREPARATION.  81 

Jaw  of  cuptom  to  speak  extemporaneoiiBly.  T  fear 
that  I  have  been  but  of  little  use  as  a  mi^iister  " 
So  the  grave  and  conscientious  man  halted  as  to 
his  duty.  His  standard  of  ministerial  character 
and  qualification  was  very  exalted,  and  his  feel- 
ings were  humble.  His  views  of  the  solemnity 
of  the  sacrod  office,  of  its  responsibilities,  and  of 
the  piety  and  talent  necessary  to  make  a  "work- 
man needing  not  to  be  ashamed,"  all  tended  to 
increase  his  hesitancy.  "  AYho  is  sufficient  for 
these  things,"  was  his  ever-recurring  sigh. 

Modesty  is  so  rare  and  amiable  a  grace  in  char- 
acter that  it  does  seem  but  a  sorry  business  to 
appear  to  decry  it,  but  still  it  must  be  said  that 
it  may  be  a  sad  hindrance  to  the'^  trnly  humble 
and  conscientious,  when  not  counterbalanced  by 
Bome  bolder  trait,  or  by  an  overcoming  faith. 
Like  Moses  and  Jeremiah,  Mr.  Bliss  was  ready  to 
plead  with  God  his  personal  inadequacy  for  the 
work.  Could  he,  so  slow  of  speech,  so  slow  of 
faith,  so  calm,  so  unheroic  in  temperament,  could 
he  expect  any  success  in  the  ministry?  Could  he 
influence  the  bold  and  hardy  pioneer?  The  ques- 
tion seemed  to  him  to  answer  itself.  Once  he 
was  ready  to  take  on  him  the  sacred  office,  but 
now,  a  self-acquaintance,  born  of  mature  experi- 
ence, made  him  ready  to  tremble  at  his  temerity. 

Just  while  he  was   indulging   this   estimate  of 


82  THE    PREPARATION. 

himself,  God  was  pleased  to  give  him  a  discovery 
of  his  influence  among  his  fellow-citizens. 

The  eighteen  months  that  preceded  the  fall 
elections  of  1824,  was  a  period  of  the  wildest 
political  excitement  throughout  the  State.  The 
question  submitted  to  the  people  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  1823,  was  the  calling  of  a  convention  to 
so  alter  the  Constitution  of  the  State  as  to  admit 
African  slavery.  As  has  always  been  the  case, 
the  bitterest  passions  were  evoked  by  the  contest 
over  this  institution.  Edwards  County  was  full 
of  the  tumult  of  the  furious  struggle.  Local 
questions  too  materially  increased  the  heat  of  the 
conflict.  Toward  the  close  of  the  summer,  one 
day,  a  company  of  gentlemen  waited  on  this  good 
man  as  he  was  toiling  out  in  the  sultry  fields, 
with  the  astounding  news  that  the  opponents  of 
the  convention  had  fixed  on  him  as  their  candi- 
date for  the  State  Legislature.  They  requested 
him  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used.  They  found  it 
necessary  to  remind  him  of  the  sacredness  of  the 
principles  involved  in  this  election,  and  to  sug- 
gest to  him  that  he  was  so  widely  and  favorably 
known,  that  if  he  would  but  consent  '-to  run,"  it 
was  the  almost  universal  impression  that  the 
anti-slavery  party  would  succeed.  Well,  verily! 
was  he  to  believe  his  ears  when  he  heard  honora- 
ble  and  intelligent  men^ talking  to  him  in  this 


THE    PREPARATION.  83 

strain?  He  expostulated  with  them  as  to  their 
generous  delusion  respecting  him.  He  knew  the 
state  of  affairs  so  well  that  he  was  sure  they 
were  egregiously  mistaken.  But  they  were  quite 
ready  to  put  the  soundness  of  their  estimate  of 
things  to  the  test,  if  he  would  but  give  his  con- 
sent. The  result  of  the  interview  was  that  the 
deputation  gained  their  point.  A  few  weeks 
before  the  election,  as  was  the  custom  in  those 
days,  Mr.  Bliss'  name  was  announced.  This  was 
the  only  part  he  took  in  the  canvass.  He  re- 
mained at  home,  receiving  many  visitors  to  be 
sure,  for  the  feeling  in  his  favor  was  enthusiastic, 
but  interesting  himself  in  the  peaceful  duties  of 
his  farm  and  his  ministry.  By  and  by  the  day 
came,  and  he  had  to  hear,  almost  with  a  pang  of 
regret,  that  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  by 
a  flattering  majority.  Alas!  what  now  of  all  his 
dreams  of  the  obscurity  and  seclusion  that  befitted 
his  humble  talents  and  qualifications?  What  if 
his  opinions  of  the  sj^here  of  his  duty  must  all 
be  reviewed  now  from  this  new  and  bewildering 
standpoint? 

You  can  not  argue  with  modesty,  but  if  the 
truly  humble  and  conscientious  discover  that 
their  humility  has  unwittingly  beguiled  them 
into  inactivity,  has  kept  the  bark  at  anchor,  ris- 
ing and  falling  on  the  idle  waves  when  it  should 


84  THE    PREPARATION. 

have  been  speeding  on  its  voyage,  then  the  rare^ 
strange  spell  is  broken. 

That  winter  Mr.  Bliss  was  in  Yandalia,  the 
capital  of  the  State,  until  the  20th  of  January, 
when  he  returned  again  to  his  home,  at  the  ad- 
journment of  the  legislature.  All  doubt  as  to  his 
duty  was  now  gone.  His  whole  air  of  indecision 
had  vanished,  and  in  its  place  was  a  firm,  humble, 
peaceful  consecration  of  himself  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  Having  reached  a  satisfactory 
conclusion  in  his  own  mind,  he  "  set  his  hand  to 
the  plow  and  never  looked  back.'*  God  had  used 
the  last  argument  that  was  needed,  and  the  prep- 
aration was  ended. 


IIP  ijf  mm 


'V 


(85) 


A   GOOD   SOLDIER   OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  87 


CHAPTER  Y. 

A   GOOD    SOLDIER   OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 
A.     D.    1825    TO    1829. 

K  April,  after  his  return  from  the  first  session 
of  the  legislature,  he  crossed  the  Wabash 
[  River,  on  his  way  to  "Washington,  Indiana, 
where  the  Presbytery  of  Salem,  Synod  of 
Kentucky,  was  to  meet.*  His  elders,  Danforth 
and  Gould,  were  in  the  company.  They  spent 
the  night  on  the  way  with  Father  Scott,  just  east 
of  Yincennes,  and  the  next  day  they  rode  on  re- 
freshed in  spirit  by  the  interview  to  the  Presby- 
tery. Mr.  Bliss  presented  his  credentials  from 
the  Hopkinton  Association,  and  after  the  usual 
examination  was  received  as  a  licentiate  under 
their  care,  and  the  name  of  the  Church  changed 
to  Wabash  Presbyterian  Church,  and  it  was  en- 
rolled among  the  Churches  of  the  Presbytery. 
How  many  prayers  were  now  answered,  and  fer- 
vent hopes  realized ! 
«  "  The  ^ynod  of  Indiana  "  was  constituted  May  29,  1826. 


88  A    GOOD    SOLDIER    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

Here  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  many  noble 
and  earnest  workers.  It  was  before  the  days  of 
the  missionary  societies^  unless  we  except  a  few 
feeble  organizations  in  some  of  the  Eastern  States. 
The  whole  work  of  domestic  missions  was  then 
but  illy  understood,  and  the  soldier  of  Jesus, 
who  was  bold  enough  to  brave  the  dangers  of  the 
"West,  had  to  go  to  warfare,  well-nigh  at  his  own 
charges.  xVs  was  natural  too,  the  godly  men  sent 
out  from  the  East  as  "  itinerants,"  to  whom  we 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley  owe  so  much,  followed 
the  trail  of  emigration  from  New  England,  and 
up  to  this  time  the  mass  of  that  emigration  had 
crowded  along  the  lake  shores  and  up  toward  the 
North.  In  August,  1822,  some  ardent  friends  of 
Christ,  in  Southern  Indiana,  met  at  Livonia,  the 
Beat  of  the  long  pastoral  and  missionary  labors  of 
the  excellent  Wm.  W.  Martin.  Ministers  and  lay- 
men were  in  the  fervent  circle.  They  came  to 
plead  with  God  for  the  field  where  their  lot  was 
cast,  and  to  take  counsel  together.  The  result  of 
the  interview  was  the  formation  of  an  association 
called  the  "  Indiana  Missionary  Society."  The 
design  was  to  introduce  missionaries  and  pastors 
into  the  young  and  growing  State,  organize 
Churches,  and  establish  the  institutions  of  relig- 
ion. It  accomplished  much  toward  the  attain- 
ment of  each  of  these  objects. 


A    GOOD    SOLDIER    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  89 

In  1826,  when  the  American  Home  Missionary 
Society  was  organized,  this  became  auxiliary  to 
the  national  institution. 

At  this  meeting  of  Presbytery  the  Eev.  Alex- 
ander Williamson  was  also  taken  under  their  care 
as  a  licentiate.  The  ''  pleasure  of  the  Lord  was 
prospering  in  their  hands." 

Immediately  on  his  reception  he  engaged  with 
the  "  Indiana  Missionary  Society,"  to  supply  two 
of  the  vacancies  of  the  Presbytery,  one  Sabbath 
each  month,  until  the  next  stated  meeting.  They 
were  both  east  of  the  Wabash  Eiver.  One  was 
Carlisle,  forty  miles  distant  from  his  home,  and 
the  other  sixty,  near  Fort  Harrison.*  The  Sab- 
baths not  occupied  thus,  he  spent  in  labors  in  his 
own  congregation.  His  usual  custom  was  to 
leave  home  on  Friday  afternoon  in  time  to  reach 
Mr.  Scott's,  where  he  would  spend  the  evening. 
On  Saturday  morning  he  would  push  on  to  some 
Presbyterian  family  settled  in  the  wilderness,  and 
preach  at  night,  and  then  on  Sabbath  morning 
ride  on  and  meet  the  congregation  he  was  to 
serve,  and  hold  from  one  to  three  services  during 
the  day. 

These  journeys  were  made  on  horseback,  for 
the  roads  were  but  bridle  paths  through  the 
woods  and  prairies;  sometimes  he  would  strike 

*  Terre  Haute. 


90  A   GOOD    SOLDIER    OP    JESUS    CHRIST. 

the  trail  of  a  wagon  track  cut  through  the  bound- 
less forests  that  separated  the  scanty  settlements. 
We  will  not  pause  now  to  see  the  toils,  hazards, 
and  adventures  of  this  wilderness  work  for  Christ, 
but  leave  it  for  a  future  page. 

At  the  next  stated  meeting  of  Presbytery, 
which  occurred  at  Yincennes,  August  the  4tb,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry, 
as  an  Evangelist.  The  Eev.  John  M.  Dickey 
preached  the  ordination  sermon,  and  the  Rev. 
Isaac  Reed,  his  old  classmate  and  fellow-graduate 
in  Middlebury  College  in  1812,  gave  the  charge 
to  the  Evangelist.  How  interesting  must  the 
event  have  been  to  these  old  friends?  Just  here 
their  Ions:  divergent  paths  crossed  in  this  world, 
like  ships  that  sometimes  meet  on  the  boundless 
wastes  of  the  sea,  only  to  greet  each  other,  and 
then  stand  away,  each  on  its  own  course. 

Mr.  Reed  was  a  restless,  indefatigable  mission- 
ary. He  performed  prodigies  of  labor  as  an  "  itin- 
erant." He  ended  his  career  at  Olney,  Illinois, 
January  15,  1858.  On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Bliss 
was  a  peaceful  pastor  all  his  days, 

On  returning  home  he  laid  off  the  field  of  his 
labors.  Taking  the  Presbyterian  families  which 
had  settled  about  equally  distant  from  him,  Wil- 
liam DennisoD,  six  miles  north,  Thomas  Gould? 
Esq.,  six  miles  east,  and  Mr.  Danforth,  six  mile» 


A    GOOD    SOLDIER    OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  91 

southwest;  and  his  own  community,  as  the  provi- 
dential centers  for  his  missionary  efforts,  he  pre- 
pared himself  for  his  work. 

Within  the  region  covered  by  these  appoint- 
ments, he  labored  until  the  close  of  his  life.  How 
was  he  supported  as  a  minister? 

His  family  consisted  at  that  time  of  four  per- 
sons— himself,  Mrs.  Bliss,  a  son,  Samuel  Wood, 
three  years  old,  and  a  daughter,  Delia,  an  infant. 
Sometimes  a  girl  was  received  into  the  household 
to  assist  Mrs.  Bliss  in  her  dairy  business,  and 
sometimes  he  took  a  lad  from  the  congregation  as 
a  pupil.  And  then  he  kept  open  house,  in  the 
spirit  of  genuine  hospitality,  and  entertained 
many  guests. 

The  means  of  livelihood  upon  which  he  could 
depend  were  two. 

1.  His  farm. 

2.  The  contributions  of  the  Church. 

As  to  his  farm,  the  soil  was  fertile,  and  pro- 
duced abundantly.  '^  All  the  face  of  the  country 
here  is  as  rich  as  the  '  intervals '  among  your 
New  England  hills."  But  then  the  market  was 
poor.  The  prices  were  so  low  that  nothing  that 
he  raised  would  pay  for  its  transportation,  or 
*' bring  as  much  as  it  actually  cost  him."  But 
thanks  to  their  Yankee  training  there  was  one 
article  that  was  an  exception.     Mrs.  Bliss  was  a 


92  A    GOOD    SOLDIER   OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

famous  cheese  maker.  Her  manufacture  brought, 
a  ready  sale  and  the  highest  price.  The  farm 
embraced  but  twenty  -  eight  acres  under  actual 
cultivation,  but  the  prairie  all  around  was  open 
and  covered  with  rank  luxuriant  grass,  and 
formed  a  natural  pasture  of  the  richest  descrip- 
tion, and  just  adapted  to  his  wants.  His  cattle 
and  sheep  cost  him  little  besides  his  personal 
oversight.  This  was  his  principal  source  of  sup- 
port. He  kept  twelve  dairy  cows,  and  Mrs.  Bliss, 
with  the  aid  of  a  "  young  girl,  who  helped  about 
as  much  as  she  hindered,"  made  this  year  1,782 
pounds  of  cheese,  all  of  which  was  sold  in  Yin- 
cennes.  "  Betsy,"  Mr.  Bliss  wrote  back  fondly 
to  his  parents,  "  Betey  has  almost  sustained  one 
missionary  during  the  past  year!  " 

Was  that  not  a  busy  life?  Think  of  this  as 
superadded  to  the  daily  routine  of  a  faithful  wife, 
mother  and  friend !  But  alas !  for  the  fair,  earnest- 
hearted  toiler,  these  exertions  were  exhaust- 
ing, as  we  shall  see.  Love  for  Jesus,  love  for  his 
cause,  love  for  her  household,  wrought  mightily 
on  her  heart,  and  she  toiled  on,  weary  and  worn, 
but  beguiled  by  the  ardor  of  her  feelings,  far  be- 
yond her  strength.  If  this  were  a  solitary  case 
we  might  pass  it  by  with  a  sigh,  but  to  know 
that  this  life  is  repeated  in  the  household  of 
almost  every  domestic  missionary  in  this  land, 


A    GOOD    SOLDIER   OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  93 

clothes  it  with  a  sad  and  solemn  interest.  Indeed 
this  wearing,  wasting  toil  seems  to  be  demanded 
by  the  spirit  and  genius  of  these  last  times  of 
every  Christian  worker.  Not  many  professors, 
alas!  need  any  caution  on  this  point,  but  the 
most  precious,  the  grandest  souls  enlisted  for 
Jesus  do. 

The  truly  pious  in  every  age  have  been  ani- 
mated with  "  zeal  for  the  Lord  of  hosts,"  but  the 
hearts  most  sweetly  attuned,  the  spirits  that  are 
winged  with  love  and  fervor,  borne  away  by 
their  holy  enthusiasm,  are  in  danger  of  cutting 
short  their  time  of  usefulness  by  over-exertion. 
Life  has  its  laws  that  ought  not  to  be  ignored 
for  they  are  God  the  Creator's.  Humanity  is  a 
deathless  soul  incarnated  in  a  dying  body,  and 
when  the  soul  with  its  powers  of  thought,  and 
affection,  and  will,  becomes  instinct  with  the  in- 
finite truths  and  motives  of  Christianity,  it 
breathes  so  high  and  holy  an  ardor  as  to  be  in 
danger  of  driving  on  the  poor  clod  to  which  it  is 
allied,  with  a  violence  that  will  soon  wear  out  its 
frail  energies.  Who  will  say  that  McCheyne, 
and  David  Nelson,  and  Summerfield,  and  Larned, 
and  Elizabeth  Ann  Judson — alas!  how  the  list 
grows,  of  the  bright  and  shining  spirits  con- 
sumed by  their  burning  fervor — who  will  say 
that  they  did  not  forget  too  much   the  solemn 


94  A    GOOD    SOLDIER   OF    JESUS   CHRIST. 

duty  of  rest  for  the  worn -down  powers  of  the 
body?  As  we  contemplate  such  devoted  lives, 
cut  short  in  the  morning  of  their  brilliant  coarse^ 
the  question  presses  the  heart — Is  this  best?  Is 
it  most  for  Grod's  glory  for  us  to  work,  physically 
or  intellectually,  up  to  the  measure  of  our 
strength,  and  then  under  the  stress  of  ever  so 
devout  motives,  to  press  on  still,  taxing  farther 
the  straining  nerves,  the  weary  brain,  the  palpi- 
tating heart,  the  aching  muscle?  If  the  tense 
and  stinging  bow-string  snaps,  will  some  one 
have  to  answer  for  heavenly  laws  violated?  Not 
less  love  and  labor  in  Jesus'  service,  but  more 
repose  and  devotion,  the  "  peace  of  Grod  ruling 
the  minds  and  heart,"  is  what  is  needed  in  this 
frantic  age. 

But  this  consuming  love  for  Jesus  is  so  rare, 
and  it  comes  so  much  nearer  to  the  service  be- 
fitting such  a  Savior,  that  the  pious  of  all  lands 
can  not,  and  would  not,  withhold  the  poor  meed 
of  their  admiration  and  applause.  How  glorious 
in  the  eyes  of  all  the  saints  shine  these  lives  of 
self-forgotten  love!  How  contagious  for  good! 
Who  would  extinguish  from  the  household  of 
faith,  the  precious  memory  of  Lady  Hunting- 
don, Harriet  Newell,  Mary  Lyons?  And  here  in 
this  lonely  cabin  in  the  frontiers,  was  enacted  a 
life  of  strenuous  toil,  that  was  instinct  with  the 
Same  spirit. 


A    GOOD    SOLDIER   OF    JESUS   CHRIST.  95 

In  speaking  of  the  farm,  we  must  not  overlook 
the  farm-house  and  its  surroun  lings.  Here 
everything  was  simple  and  economical  to  the  last 
degree,  and  yet  plenty  reigned.  But  it  was  a 
plenty  that  their  own  forethought  and  industry 
produced.  Mr.  Bliss  gave  his  personal  attention 
to  his  stock.  He  took  great  interest  in  it.  He 
records  duly  the  increase  among  the  flocks  and 
herds.  Everything  was  in  its  place,  and  well 
cared  for,  around  his  stables  and  sheep  cots. 
''Scarcely  anything  of  his  ever  died,"  says  one 
of  the  young  men,  who  was  for  some  time  in  his 
family.  Poultry  abounded.  To  the  south  of  the 
door,  and  not  many  feet  away,  was  a  row  of  bee- 
hives, just  within  the  orchard  fence.  The  sooth- 
ing hum  of  the  quiet  bee  house  completes  the 
picture  of  peace  and  innocent  plenty  that  this 
humble  home  presented. 

When  Mr.  Bliss  fully  undertook  the  ministry, 
he  adjusted  his  worldly  labors  so  as  to  secure  the 
most  leisure  for  reading  and  meditation.  He  was 
exceediDg}}^  regular  in  his  habits,  and  methodi- 
cal, and  "lived  by  rule."  The  day  was  given  to 
his  farming  interests,  and  the  evenings  and 
mornings  to  study.  His  reflections  during  the 
day,  when  engaged  in  his  daily  work,  would 
then  be  jotted  down  in  brief  outline.  Saturday 
was  generally  a  day  of  rest  and  preparation  for 
the  Sabbath. 


96  A    GOOD   SOLDIER    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

So  he  lived,  a  thoughtful  student-farmer,  a 
Badly  secularized  jDastor. 

The  Church,  meanwhile,  had  increased  from 
five  to  seventeen  members.  Among  the  number, 
the  reader  already  knows,  there  were  some  men 
of  unusual  intelligence  and  judgment.  After 
canvassing  the  matter  among  themselves,  they 
met,  in  a  congregational  meeting,  at  the  house 
of  the  faithful  pastor,  to  determine  respecting 
their  duty  toward  him.  As  the  result  of  their 
deliberations,  $123.00  was  subscribed  toward  his 
support. 

This  was  his  second  means  of  living. 

This  paper,  with  the  signatures,  is  still  ex- 
tant, brown  with  age,  dingy  and  tattered  with 
handling,  but  an  interesting  relic  of  the  enlight- 
ened views,  and  the  zeal  of  his  co-laborers,  in 
those  early  days. 

From  the  time  that  Mr.  Bliss  received  ordina- 
tion, he  took  rank  among  the  most  prominent 
preachers  of  the  Presbytery.  He  had  unusual 
advantages.  He  was  of  mature  age,  being  thirty- 
eight  years  old,  a  Senator  in  the  Legislature  of 
Illinois,  with  a  mind  cultivated  by  a  liberal 
education,  a  large  experience,  and  much  contact 
with  men.  His  address  was  manly  and  pleasing, 
his  conversation  was  peculiarly  engaging.  To 
all  this  was  added  such  evident  piety  and  sim- 


A    GOOD   SOLDIER   OF   JESUS   CHRIST.  97 

plicity  of  character,  as  endeared  him  to  his  breth- 
ren. He  was  manifestly  quite  unconscious  of  his 
talents  and  influence,  "a  very  humble,  godly 
man."*  One  would  know  at  a  glance,  in  coming 
in  contact  with  him,  that  he  was  a  Christian  gen- 
tleman. But  he  was  "  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school."  There  was  a  something  about  his  man- 
ners that  did  not  repress  cheerfulness,  but  for- 
bade all  familiarity.  No  one  thought  of  ever 
addressing  him  in  the  free  and  easy  style  of  the 
frontiers.  No  one  ever  forgot  the  bearing  of 
courtesy  that  his  presence  suggested,  and,  some- 
how, unconsciously  enforced. 

Having  enlisted  in  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
he  was  very  much  engaged.  His  appointments 
at  each  of  the  four  preaching  places  were  a 
month  apart.  The  preaching  was,  therefore,  not 
to  be  the  only  agency  relied  on.  Mr.  Bliss  sought 
to  enlist  the  people  in  various  plans  for  the  gen- 
eral good. 

In  March,  1825,  he  moved  in  the  establishment 
of  the  County  Bible  Society,  writing  out  a  con- 
stitution by  which  to  organize.  For  years  he 
held  annual  meetings,  some  place  in  the  bounds 
of  his  congregation,  to  animate  the  friends  of  the 
Bible  cause,  lifted  collections,  transmitted  funds, 
received  boxes  of  books,  and  kept  the  attention 

*ilev.  S.  R.  Alexander,  Vincennes,  Indiana. 


98  A    GOOD    SOLDIER    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

©f  the  people  alive  to  this  great  Protestant  in- 
terest. 

In  1830  the  Society  resolved  to  supply  every 
destitute  family  in  the  county  with  a  copy  of  the 
Sacred  Scriptures.  In  this  blessed  work  his  zeal 
was  illustrated.  He  vs^ent  from  house  to  house, 
over  a  large  part  of  the  territory,  distributing 
them  with  his  own  hands.  It  may  explain  still 
farther  what  was  said  of  the  moral  state  of  the 
field,  to  add,  that,  in  this  work  there  were  moro 
than  one  hundred  families  discovered,  in  this 
small  and  thinly-settled  county,  without  a  com- 
plete copy  of  the  Scriptures. 

That  was  the  day  for  organizing  every  one  that 
was  willing  to  do  Christian  work,  into  voluntary 
societies,  and  Mr.  Bliss  was  full  of  the  charitable 
scheme.  In  this  same  spring  of  1825,  he  began 
to  agitate  the  organization  of  a  County  Sabbath- 
School  Society.  He  succeeded  so  well  in  enlist- 
ing the  friends  of  this  noble  cause  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  and  in  all  the  Churches, 
that  his  benevolent  plan  wtmt  into  operation 
during  the  summer.  Up  to  this  date  there  had 
been  but  two  Sabbath -schools  in  the  county  — 
one  in  Wabash  Church  and  one  in  Mount  Car- 
mel.  By  1831  there  were  five  more  schools  under 
the  care  of  this  Society,  with  about  350  pupils, 
and  750  volumes  of  the  Sunday-School  Union's 
publications  in  their  libraries. 


A   GOOD    SOLDIER   OF    JESUS    CHRIST.  99 

In  the  early  days  covered  by  this  part  of  the 
narrative,  the  vice  of  intemperance  abounded* 
It  was  one  of  the  most  serious  barriers  to  the 
progress  of  religion  and  good  morals.  There 
were  still-houses  here  and  there  over  the  coun- 
try, and  each  of  them  was,  of  course,  a  center  of 
idleness,  profanity  and  vice.  There  hunters  and 
adventurers  of  all  kinds  gathered  to  drink  and 
tell  wondrous  tales,  and  the  idle  and  the  curious 
to  hear  them.  Saturday  was  the  great  day  of  the 
week.  Then  these  haunts  presented  a  busy 
scene.  Ardent  spirits  flowed  freely.  Jumping, 
wrestling,  horse  racing,  gambling  and  fighting, 
were  the  business  of  the  day. 

But  not  only  in  these  places,  but  everywhere, 
the  use  of  intoxicating  liquor  prevailed.  It  be- 
longed to  the  sacred  rites  of  hospitality  to  set  it 
before  every  guest.  In  harvest  time  it  was 
brought  forth  prodigally.  The  custom  prevailed 
for  the  men  in  each  neighborhood  to  exchange 
work  in  cutting  their  scanty  grain-fields — that 
is,  they  would  all  meet  and  "reap"  the  ripest 
wheat  first,  and  then  go  on  to  the  next,  and  so 
on,  until  all  the  harvesting  in  the  neighborhood 
was  finished.  Thus  the  harvesting:  was  trans- 
formed  into  a  "  merrj^-make,"  as  far  as  its  toils 
could  be,  a  long  holiday  of  jokes,  and  fun,  and 
drinking.     The  reapers  reaped  up  from  one  side 


100  A   GOOD    SOLDIER    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

of  the  field,  and  bound  their  sheaves  hack,  and 
then  were  expected  to  help  themselves  to  the 
whisky  and  water  that  they  always  found  wait- 
ing them  in  the  grateful  shade.  At  house-rais- 
ings, log-rollings,  etc.,  it  was  also  furnished  boun- 
tifully, and  the  hilarious  labors  of  the  day  were 
always  followed  by  a  roistering  frolic,  or  a  dance 
that  held  on  through  the  livelong  night.  Thus 
all  their  social  habits  tended  to  foster  the  prac- 
tice of  drinking  and  its  kindred  vices. 

After  grieving  over  this  state  of  things  for 
some  time,  and  finding  the  evil  on  the  increase, 
in  1829  the  pastor  and  session  felt  called  upon 
to  take  their  stand  against  it.  During  the  prog- 
ress of  a  communion  season,  the  exercises  of 
which  were  held  in  Mr.  Bliss'  harn^  a  temperance 
society  was  formed,  on  the  total  abstinence  prin- 
ciple, and  thirty  names  were  enrolled,  embracing 
all  the  members  of  Wabash  Church,  so  far  as 
known.  Temperance  principles,  once  introduced, 
were  soon  adopted  among  all  religious  people, 
and  made  their  way  irresistibly.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  years  the  general  use  of  ardent  spirits 
disappeared  from  the  public  gatherings,  wed- 
dings, and  even  the  holiday  frolics. 

So  this  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ  toiled  on, 
and  laid  hold  of  every  agency  that  promised  to 
assist  in  promoting  the  principles  of  truth  and 


A  GOOD  SOLDIER  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.     101 

righteousness.     Slowly  the  Church  won  its  way 
In  1830  the  membership  in  the  whole  field  of  his 
labors  amounted  to  twenty-nine. 

But  why  did  this  "  vineyard  "  grow  fruitful  so 
slowly?  Several  circumstances  conspired.  The 
members  were  very  much  scattered,  and  their 
moral  power  was  sadly  dissipated  by  this  fact. 
And  then  the  inhabitants  were,  for  the  most  part, 
of  that  hardy  and  adventurous  type  who  escape 
from  the  ties  and  restraints  of  established  society 
in  the  older  States,  to  seek  freedom  on  the  fron- 
tiers. "  The  religion  they  covet,"  says  Mr.  Bliss, 
"  if  religion  they  must  have,  is  not  such  as  re- 
quires regularity,  strictness  or  system,  or  such  as 
probes  the  heart,  enlightens  the  mind,  or  closely 
confines  the  conscience."  As  this  was  the  only 
type  of  religion  that  satisfied  his  serious  convic- 
tions, or  that  he  could,  with  a  clear  conscience, 
preach  to  others,  of  course  the  Church  would 
make  its  way  but  slowly  under  his  leadership. 
Sowing  would  go  before  reaping  in  such  a  field. 

And  then,  lastly,  the  peculiar  style  of  Mr. 
Bliss'  preaching  deserves  notice.  It  was  clear, 
slow,  calm,  grave  and  dignified.  It  was  well  cal- 
culated to  edify  the  hearers,  but  not  to  arouse 
them.  There  was  little  or  no  passion,  no  heat, 
no  declamation,  almost  nothing  to  attract  the 
unthinking.      He   was   utterly   wanting   in   the 


102  A   GOOD    SOLDIER   OF   JESUS   CHRIST. 

energy  of  feeling,  the  fervor  and  glow  of  mind 
that  fuses  down  his  auditory  into  one  common 
sympathy  with  the  orator,  and  moves  all  before 
it  with  the  rush  of  its  glorious  enthusiasm.  He 
could  explain  with  the  clearness  of  a  demonstra- 
tion, the  truths  he  wished  to  present,  and  there 
was  a  deep  and  honest  interest,  and  often  a  spir- 
itual fervor  and  unction  in  his  sermons,  that  was 
inexpressibly  delightful  to  his  pious  hearers,  but 
all  was  quiet.  The  multitude  was  not  attracted 
by  his  ministry.  Under  his  labors  the  growth  of 
religious  sentiment  was  slow,  but  it  should  be 
added,  that  it  was  abiding.  What  was  gained 
was  almost  never  lost. 

This  good  soldier^  his  victories  had  never  to  be 
struggled  for  and  won  again ! 


(108) 


WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR   CHRIST.  105 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

WILDERNESS   WORK    FOR   CHRIST, 
A.  D.  1824,  Etc. 

HAT  was^  and  is  now,  a  mimonary's  life  in 
our  horae  field?  Like  all  other  earnest 
livep,  a  scene  of  blended  shadows  and  sun- 
beams. There  is  enough  of  exposure,  toil, 
neglect,  and  hopeless  effort  in  it  to  make  it  ut- 
terly intolerable  to  one  whose  heart  is  not  aflame 
with  the  benevolence  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  But  with  this,  it  is  a  life  of  real  comfort 
and  pleasure.  The  shadiest,  wildest  places  in  the 
path  are  blithe  with  chastened  joys. 

The  reader  will  see  this  best,  by  looking  in  on 
random  days,  in  the  history  of  two  or  three 
"good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,"  or  following 
them,  as  they  go  forth  "enduring  hardness." 

In  December,  1823,  a  young  licentiate — Ben- 
jamin Franklin  Spilman  —  came  into  the  field 
over  which  the  reader  is  to  ramble  in  this  chap- 
ter. This  good  man  was  the  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Nancy  (Eice)  Spilman,  and  was  born  in  Gar- 


106  WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR    CHRIST. 

rard  County,  Kentucky,  August  17,  1796  Hia 
parents  were  from  Virginia,  and  emigrated  to 
Xentiicky  among  the  <^ariy  pioneers. 

A  glimpse  of  bis  liJe  will  be  appropriate  be- 
fore we  hurry  on  in  the  narrative.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Jeflerson  College,  Pennsylvania,  in  1821, 
and  studied  theology  with  ti^e  Kev.  Dr.  G.  Wil- 
son, of  Chiliicothc  Ohio.  Be  was  licensed  by 
the  Cliillico'he  Presbytery  in  1823,  and  ordained 
and  installed  pastor  of  Sharon  Church,  Illinois, 
by  the  Muhlenburgh  Presbytery  in  1821r.  Here 
he  labored,  dividing  his  tune  among  the  counties 
bordering  <.  u  the  Ohio  and  Wab  ish  rivers,  for 
two  years,  when  he  became  an  itinerant  mission- 
xiry  in  Middle  and  Southern  Illinois  In  this- 
work  he  labored  ''or  seventeen  years.  But  at  last 
his  health  began  to  give  way,  and  the  people  o 
Shawneetown  wliere  lie  had  oi-ganized  a  Church 
in  1826,  prevailed  u])"n  him  lo  settle  among 
theju.  He  was  iTi.italled  paslor  or  the  Church  in 
April,  1842.  Two  years  after"  urd  he  removed  to 
Coester,  Illinois,  bur.  in  1851  he  returned  to  Shaw- 
neetown and  jemained  with  his  old  coi>gr(  giiion 
until  his  peace'ui  (iej)arture,  in  the  midst  of  a 
l^lessed  revival  of  religion.  May  o,  1S59. 

He  man-iru  in  182u,  Miss  Ann  Cannon,  Can- 
■nonsburgh,  Pennsylv  .rna,  who  died  in  1835  He 
marj'f'd,  in  1840,  Mis.s  Mary  P.  Potter  \\  Ikj.  with 
two  children,  8  rvives  him. 


WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR    CHRIST.  107 

Mr.  Spilman  was  a  hard-working  missionary. 
Por  thirty-six  years  he  labored  faithfully  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  his  adopted  State.  Posses- 
sing a  robust  constitution,  a  warm  heart,  and  a 
holy  zeal  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  he  was  never 
idle,  and  seldom  sick.  His  influence  for  good 
will  long  be  felt  in  Southern  Illinois.* 

This  worthy  man  met  Mr.  Bliss  first  in  a  sa- 
cramental meeting  in  Sharon  Church,  August  19, 
1827.  From  that  day  forward  the  two  became 
intimately  associated  in  the  arduous  preparatory 
work  that  fell  to  their  lot.  Together  they  trav- 
ersed a  large  part  of  what  is  now  the  Presbytery 
of  Saline.  They  held  communions  in  the  infant 
Churches,  and  visited  Presbyterian  families  set- 
tled here  and  there  through  the  wilderness,  and 
cheered  tbem  to  undertake  for  the  promotion  of 
God's  glory.  For  this  work  the  rugged  and  stal- 
wart Kentuckian,  blunt  and  familiar  in  his  man- 
ners, was  far  better  qualified  than  our  polished 
and  quiet  New  Englander.  But  the  two  supple- 
mented each  other,  and  were  everywhere  wel- 
comed. The  cordial  intimacy  between  them  was 
very  useful  to  themselves  and  the  Churches. 

Beyond  the  Wabash  Piver  dwelt  all  of  Mr. 
Bliss'  brethren  of  Salem  Presbytery.  During 
the  five    years  that  followed  his  ordination,   he 

*  Wilson's  Presbyterian  Historical  Almanac,  1860. 


108  WILDEltNESS   WORK    FOR    CHRIST. 

often  crossed  over  and  joined  some  of  them  in  a 
missionary  tour  among  the  vacancies  and  desti- 
tutions of  that  field.  Thus  he  became  identified 
in  spirit  and  measures  for  doing  good  wiili  the 
saintly  Scott  and  Martin,  and  their  fellow- 
laboi  ers. 

Midway  between  these  beloved  brethren  be- 
yond the  river  and  the  Spilmans  (Benjamin 
Franklin  and  younger  brother,  Thomas  A.,  or- 
dained October  13,  1828),  who  itinerated  far  and 
near,  in  the  vast  territory,  to  the  souih  and  west 
the  humble  cabin,  soothed  by  the  whispering 
oaks,  became  a  kind  of  sacred  rendezvous.  Father 
Scott,  until  his  lamented  death  in  1827,  and  after- 
ward Rev.  Truman  Perrin,  Principal  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Seminary  at  Vincennes,  frequently  came 
down  to  join  in  communion-meetings  and  tnjoy 
the  society  of  their  modest  but  gificd  brother. 
And  sometimes  the  genial^Spilman,  out  on  some 
long  and  lonely  missionary  tour,  would  drop  in 
to  lodge,  and  riot  in  the  good  cheer  of  this  cosiest 
of  all  homes.  The  wide,  rustic  fireplace,  with  its 
flashing  hospitable  joys,  lit  up  no  happier  scenes 
than  when  these  friends  thus  met. 

But  these  interesting  occasions  were,  of  course, 
at  long  intervals.  The  routine  of  missionary  life 
went  on  unbroken. 

No  description  will  give  so  true  an  impression 


WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR   CHRIST.  109 

of  his  every-day  life  as  a  few  extracts  from  the 
old,  faded  diary.  This  meager  journal  was  only 
designed  as  "  a  memorandum  of  the  weather  and 
worldly  affairs."  It  is  bald  and  brief  giving  no 
expression  to  his  feelings,  as  the  hackneyed  and 
threadbare  events  dragged  themselves  along. 
The  reader  must  tax  his  own  imagination  to 
clothe  the  scenes  with  the  colors  and  the  air  of 
lire.  We  will  open  "the  short  and  simple  an- 
nals "  at  random. 

May  17,  1826. — Weather  very  warm.  Ground 
the  tools  and  made  some  bar-posts. 

May  18 Lh. — Weather  very  warm.  In  the  even- 
ing thunder.  Went  to  Mt.  Cartnel.  Seiit  $50.00  to 
American  Bible  Society  for  another  box  of 
Bibles,  etc. 

May  19th. — Making  post  and  rail  fence.  A 
plowing  up  the  orohard,  which  had  been  planted 
and  replanted,  the  corn  having  all  been  eaten  off 
by  the  army-worms,  which  almost  cover  the  face 
of  the  ground. 

May  21st. — Sabbath.  Pleasant.  Meeting  in  the 
school-house. 

May  22d.  —  Morning  cloudy.  Furrowing 
ground  in  the  orchard  in  the  afternoon.  Plant- 
ing it  the  third  time. 

May  23d. — Some   cloudy.     Making   bee-house 

and  bee-hives.      A plowing   up    my  other 

corn  fields,  the  worms  having  taken  the  corn. 


110  WILDERNESS   WORK    FOR   CHRIST. 

May  24th. — Warm.  Some  thunder.  Showers 
at  a  distance.  At  work  in  garden,  and  making 
bee-hives. 

May  25th. — Afternoon  raining.  Attended  the 
meeting  of  the  "Sabbath-School  Society"  at  the 
court-house. 

Thus  the  current  of  his  busy,  quiet  life  flows 
on  from  page  to  page. 

**  Something  attempted,  something  done, 
Is  witnessed  by  each  setting  sun." 

We  will  turn  now  to  his  modest  record  of  some 
missionary  labors: 

November  17,  1825. — Thursday  cold  and  blus- 
tering. Some  snow.  Started  early  on  a  mis- 
sionary tour.  Rode  twenty  miles  to  Mr.  Scott's. 
He  then  rode  with  me  eleven  miles  to  Mr.  S.'s, 
where  I  preached  in  the  evening. 

November  18th. — Froze  hard  last  night.  Eode 
to  Washington  seven  miles.  Mr.  Scott  preached 
in  the  afternoon.  Rode  two  miles  and  preached 
in  the  evening. 

November  19th.  —  Weather  more  moderate. 
Returned  to  Washington  and  preached  at  mid- 
day. Rode  out  seven  miles  and  preached  in  the 
evening,  and  baptized  two  children. 

November  20th. — Weather  pleasant.  Attended 
the  communion  season  in  Washington.  Mr.  Scott 
preached.  We  administered  the  Lord's  Supper, 
and  three  children  were  baptized. 


WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR    CHRIST.  Ill 

November  2,  1827. — Cloudy.  Started  after 
breakfast,  in  company  with  Brother  Perrin,  to 
visit  a  Church  on  the  West  of  the  Little  Wabash. 

Kode  fifteen  miles  to  Esquire  M 's,  where  we 

dined.  Six  miles  farther  we  reached  the  river. 
The  rest  of  the  afternoon,  and  the  evening  until 
9  o'clock,  was  spent  traversing  ihe  bottoms,  en- 
deavoring to  thread  our  way  out  to  the  prairie. 
The  afternoon  was  cloudy,  and  the  path  separated 
into  stray  tracks  as  we  proceeded,  where  the 
travelers  before  us  had  straggled  around  in  the 
deep  woods  to  escape  quagmires  As  night  set 
in,  the  sky  was  still  obscured,  and  we  had  to 
wander  on  without  anything  to  guide  us  in  the 
desired  direction.     The  wolves  howled  hideously 

around  us.     To  crown  all,  Mr.  P was  taken 

sick,  and  after  trying  to  go  on  for  some  time, 
with  frequent  stops,  we  finally  unsaddled  our 
horses  and  encamped  for  the  night.  Having  ob- 
tained a  little  rest,  we  again  pursued  our  course, 
and,  by  the  direction  of  a  kind  Providence,  we 
arrived  at  a  safe  habitation. 

November  3d. — Cloudy.  Eode  two  miles  to 
the  place  of  meeting,  where  we  met  Brothers 
B.  P.  and  T.  A.  Spilman.  I  preacht-d  in  the  fore- 
noon, Mr.  Perrin  in  the  afternoon  and  I  again  in 
the  evening. 

November  4th. — Cloudy.     A  most  interesting 


112  WILDERNESS   WORK    FOR   CHRIST. 

communion  season.  Brother  Spilman  preached 
in  the  morning,  and  Brother  Perrin  in  the  even- 
ing. 

November  5th. — Cloudy.  Preached  at  8  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon  to  a  solemn  audience.  An  affect- 
ing parting  season  in  the  afternoon.  Returned 
within  fifteen  miles  of  home,  etc. 

Let  us  turn  over  the  faded  diary  to  a  record  of 
the  old-time  journeys  to  Presbytery  and  Synod, 
etc.  The  leisurely  and  sociable  horseback  trips, 
the  tedium  of  the  way  through  the  vast,  prim- 
eval woods  that  then  covered  Southern  Indiana, 
beguiled  by  the  company  of  long-separated  breth- 
ren, will  doubtless  be  quite  a  contrast  with  these 
times  of  the  telegraph  and  express  trains.  Some- 
times, however,  there  were  dangers  and  expo- 
sures that  took  away  much  of  the  charm  from  the 
journey.  For  a  glimpse  of  the  hardships  of  this 
service  his  adventures  in  April,  1827,  will  serve 
as  a  specimen: 

April  8,  1827.— Sabbath.  Cloudy.  Preached 
at  Mr.  Buchanan's.  After  meeting  went  to  "Vin- 
cennes  in  company  with  Mr.  Crane,  ruling  elder. 

April  9th. — Heavy  rain  last  night  and  much 
thunder.     Rode  in  the  rain  all  the  forenoon  in 

company  with  Messrs.  Scott  and  C .     Creeks 

high.  Arrived  at  Mr.  White's,  near  "  Turman's 
Creek." 


WILDERNESS   WORK    FOR'CHRIST.  113 

April  loth. — Pleasant.  Eocle  to  Terre  Haute. 
Preached  in  the  evening. 

April  11th. — Rode  to  "Big  Raccoon  Creek." 

April  12th. — Tremendous  rain  last  night.  High 
wind  during  the  day.  Spent  the  day  searching 
for  a  passage  across  the  creek  in  vain. 

April  13th. — After  much  traveling  we  found  a 
ford  and  crossed,  and  arrived  at  night  at  the 
place  of  meeting. 

April  14th.— Failed  of  a  meeting  of  Presby- 
tery, a  quorum  not  being  present.  Attended 
meeting  preparatory  to  a  communion. 

April  15th. — The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per was  administered.  Mr.  Scott  preached.  After 
meeting  rode  a  few  miles  toward  home. 

April  16th. — Pleasant.  Swam  our  horses  across 
the  creek,  while  we  crossed  with  our  baggage  in 
a  canoe.  Rode  to  Honey-Creek  Prairie.  Preached 
in  the  evening. 

April  17th.— Pleasant.  Rode  to  Turman's  Creek. 
Preached  in  the  evening  at  Mr.  White's. 

April  18th. — Rode  to  Mr.  Scott's,  and  on  the 
19th  returned  home.     Wabash  very  high,  etc. 

For  a  more  cheerful  picture  we  turn  to  the  fall 
meeting  of  the  Presbytery  and  Synod  for  the 
same  year : 

October  5th. — Forenoon  picking  cotton;  after- 
noon attended  meeting  at  Esquire  Gould's.  Mr. 
Spilman  preached. 


114  WILDERNESS   WORK    FOR   CHRIST. 

October  6th. — Meeting  at  Mr.  Danforth's.  Mr. 
Spilraan  preached  at  11  o'clock,  and  also  again  in 
the  evening  at  my  house. 

October  7th. — Attended  a  communion  season 
at  Mr.  Danforth's.  Present,  Brothers  Scott,  Spil- 
man  and  Perrin. 

October  8th. — A  rainy  day.  Attended  the  an- 
nual meeting  of  the  Bible  Society. 

October  9th.  —  Some  rain  during  the  day. 
Started  with  Brother  Spilman  for  Presbytery  and 
Synod.     Rode  to  Mr.  Scott's. 

October  10th. — Cloudy.  Proceeded  in  company 
with  Messrs.  Scott,  Perrin,  Spilman  and  Gould 
for  Bloomington,  where  the  Preebytery  is  to 
meet.     Eode  thirty-five  miles. 

October  11th  — Rode  about  forty  miles  over  a 
very  hilly  country. 

October  12th. — Pleasant.  Eode  eiglit  miles  to 
Bloomington.     The  Presbytery  constituted. 

October  13th. — Spent  the  day  in  Presbyterial 
business. 

October  14th. — Attended  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  In  the  evening  a  missionary  ser- 
mon by  Mr.  Spilman, 

October  15th. — Presbytery  met  in  the  morning, 
finished  the  business,  and  adjourned  In  the  af- 
ternoon rode  twenty-five  miles. 

October  16th.  —  Rode  twenty-seven  miles  to 
Salem. 


WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR    CHRIST.  115 

October  17th. — Attended  the  meeting  of  the 
"Indiana  Missionary  Association.'' 

October  18th — The  Synod  was  ''constituted," 
and  then,  after  its  adjournment,  follows  the  ac- 
count of  the  long  trip  homeward. 

This  proved  to  be  the  partinof  interview  with 
one  of  their  genial  company.  In  December  the 
veteran  misnionary,  the  holy  man  of  God,  the 
Eev.  Samuel  T.  Scott,  entered  into  his  heavenly 
rest. 

The  next  meeting  of  Synod  was  held  at  Vin- 
cennes,  October  6,  1828.  The  dingy  old  "  diary  " 
says  of  it ; 

October  19,  1828.— Sabbath.  Pleasant.  The 
most  interesting  meeting  I  have  ever  witnessed 
in  the  Western  country.  Sixty-three  persons 
came  forward  to  connect  themselves  with  the 
Church,  etc. 

How  sweetly  the  words  of  Rev.  xiv.  13,  come 
to  the  soul  as  we  read  this  statement :  "  Blessed 
are  the  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 
henceforth:  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may 
rest  from  their  labors;  and  their  works  do  follow 
them."  The  influence  of  a  righteous  life  sur- 
vives the  life  itself,  and  continues  to  bear  its 
fruits  of  holiness.  Sometimes  after  the  sun  has 
set  he  succeeds  in  flushing  the  quiet  clouds  and 
mellow  sky,  and  the  evening  air,  with  a  splendor 


116  WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR   CHRIST. 

that  surpasses  the  brilliaocy  of  his  noontide 
strength.  Even  so  a  holy  radiance  follows  a 
truly  saintly  life,  and  covers  the  scenes  it  blessed 
with  the  beams  of  its  departing  glory.  "No  one 
of  God's  children  ever  dieth  unto  himself." 

It  has  been  said  that  Mr.  Bliss'  means  of  living, 
while  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  were 
his  farm  and  the  contributions  of  his  congrega- 
tion. In  1828  the  American  Home  Missionary 
Society  began  to  contribute  something  to  keep 
him  in  this  field.  This  aid  was  continued  for 
three  years,  and  then,  at  his  own  request,  was 
withheld. 

During  this  period  it  became  his  duty,  as  a 
missionary,  to  report  his  labors  every  quarter  to 
the  Rev.  Absalom  Peters,  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary of  the  Society.  Some  of  these,  copied  care- 
lessly on  loose  leaves,  still  survive.  We  will 
close  this  glimpse  of  his  "wilderness  work  for 
Christ"  with  an  extract  from  one  of  these  " re- 
ports ^" 

"  August  13,  1831. — During  my  last  quarter  I 
have  been  called  from  home  more  than  usual,  to 
attend  to  the  interests  of  the  Church  in  other 
parts  of  the  State.  *****  I  have  spent 
two  Sabbaths  in  Coles  County,  one  at  a  point 
eighty,  and  the  other  more  than  one  hundred 
miles    north    of   this.     It   is   a   fertile   tract   of 


WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR   CHRIST.  117 

country  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Embarrass 
and  Little  Wabash  rivers.  The  settlements  have 
been  most'y  made  within  three  years,  in  or  near 
points  of  timber  that  put  out  into  arras  of  the 
'Grand  Prairie.'  At  the  most  distant  congrega- 
tion I  organized  a  Church,  consisting  of  seven- 
teen members,  with  a  prospect  of  soon  doubling 
in  members,  by  the  immigration  of  Presbyterian 
families  in  the  autumn  *  Ordained  elders,  and  ad- 
ministered infant  baptism.  Found  there,  in  a  little 
log  cabin,  a  theological  student.  He  spends  a  part 
of  his  time  cultivating  a  iSeld  of  corn,  to  procure 
sustenance  for  himself  and  wife  and  two  small 
children,  and  the  other  part  in  theological  studies. 
Having  gone  through  several  parts  of  trial,  be- 
fore a  Presbytery  in  Kentucky,  he  is  in  hopes  of 
receiving  license  this  fall  or  in  the  spring. f 

''Next  I  attended  a  'four-days'  meeting'  in  a 
congregation  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles 
south  of  that  point  just  mentioned.  Here  was  a 
Church  of  about  twenty  members,  organized  last 
autumn. J  Administered  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord  8  Supper,  baptized  one  adult  and  fourteen 
children.  Thirteen  were  received  into  the  com- 
munion of  the  Church;  several  others  are  indulg- 

*  Oakland,  Presbytery  of  Palestine. 

t  Samuel  C.  Ashmore. 

J  Pleasant  Prairie.  , 


118  WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR    CHRIST. 

ing  a  hope  of  pardoned  sin,  who  will  probably 
soon  unite;  and  several  are  anxiously  inquiring 
the  way  of  salvation. 

"  The  meetings  on  Saturday  and  Sabbath  were 
holden  in  the  o^  n  air,  under  a  thick,  shady 
grove,  on  the  bank  of  a  little  clear  stream  of 
water,  which  issued  from  a  spring  in  the  edge  of 
a  prairie.  What  added  peculiar  interest  to  this 
meeting  was  the  fact  that  it  was  held  on  the  very 
ground  which  once  was  the  favorite  spot  for  en- 
campment of  the  Kickapoo  tribe  of  Indians,  in 
their  hunting  excursions.  The  grove,  which  had 
long  echoed  the  wild  yell  of  the  savage,  now  re- 
sounded with  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise  of- 
fered up  to  the  only  living  and  true  Grod.  Here, 
in  a  literal  sense,  was  spread  in  the  wilderness 
the  table  of  the  Lord.  Here  was  a  Christian  as- 
sembly, listening  with  intensity  of  soul  to  the 
truths  of  the  gospel,  the  unvarnished  story  of 
the  unparailcled  sufferings  of  the  Son  of  God  for 
the  redemption  of  the  immortal  soul  ;  here,  we 
trust,  children  were  consecrated  to  God  by  believ- 
ing parents;  Christians  were  invigorated  and  en- 
couraged in  their  journey  toward  the  heavenly 
Canaan;  souIh  which  had  long  been  captives  in 
the  chains  of  Su^an,.  emancipated  and  brought  to 
enjoy  the  liberty  and  the  privileges  of  the  sons 
of  God.'     These  are  some  of  the  luxuries  of  the 


WILDERNESS    WORK    FOR    CHRIST.  119 

missionary  in  the  wilderness.  One  such  meeting 
is  an  ample  compensation  for  years  of  travel, 
toil  and  privation. 

"I  assisted  also  in  organizin^^  a  County  Bible 
Society  under  favorable  auspices.  I  think  that 
the  Bible  cause  received,  indirectly,  an  impetus 
from  the  conduct  of  two  public  characters,  who 
pretend  to  preach  the  gospel,  who  had  previously 
spent  considerable  time  and  pains  in  the  county 
publicly  denouncing  Bible  Societies.  Sabbath- 
Schools,  and  Missionary  Societies,  as  creatures  of 
the  devil,  etc.  This,  in  a  civilized  community, 
of  course  produced  a  reaction,  and  excited  the 
friends  of  these  dilferent  causes  to  greater  zeal.** 

Now  we  will  turn  to  the  tattered  diary  and 
follow  the  missionary  to  his  home: 

July  26,  1831  —Tuesday.  Started  for  home. 
Eode  five  miles  to  Muddy  Point.  Fifteen  miles 
to  the  first  cabin — all  the  way  through  the  open 
prairie.  Flies  very  numerous.  Horse  covered 
with  bushes.  Having  waited  until  night,  on  ac- 
count of  flies,  set  oft'  in  company  with  a  traveler. 
Twenty  miles  to  the  next  cabin.  Arrived  about 
midnight.  G-ot  feed  for  horse.  Slept  a  little 
while  on  the  floor. 

July  27th. — Rode  fifteen  miles  to  breakfast. 
Flies  wonderfully  plenty.  At  the  risk  of  a  horse's 
life  to  travel.     In  the  evening  arrived   at   home. 


120  WILDERNESS   WORK    FOR   CHRIST. 

forty  miles.     Through  the  mercy  of  God  found 
my  family  in  usual  health. 

And  as  we  part  with  him  on  the  threshold  of 
his  home,  who  will  not  breathe  the  benediction, 
**  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant!  " 


Ifa«fffllf  Ifpf?. 


H2i) 


BEAUTIFUL    LIVES.  123 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BEAUTIFUL    LIVES. 
A.  D.  1830,  etc. 

UST  at  this  period  tlie  work  was  strengthened 
by  the  introduction  of  some  pious  English 
families.  Up  to  this  time,  among  the  many- 
settlers  that  were  taking  up  the  vacant  lands, 
there  were  some  Presbyterians  who  had  located 
for  the  most  part  in  Barney's  Prairie.  The  so- 
ciety in  the  vicinity  of  Mr.  Bliss'  had  remained 
as  described  above.  To  the  south  of  him,  and 
only  half  a  mile  from  the  saintly  home  under  the 
oaks,  was  a  race-course,  busy  with  its  boisterous 
throng  each  Saturday  and  its  deadly  influences. 
We  can  readily  understand  with  what  pleasure 
he  saw  a  thrifty,  stanch,  intelligent  Englishman, 
of  good  property  and  enlarged  views,  come  and 
settle  near  him. 

The  chain  of  providences  that  led  to  this  cir- 
cumstance was  this: 

In  1816  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Wellenborough, 


124  BEAUTIFUL    LIVES. 

England,  became  enamored  with  the  project  of 
purchasing  lands  in  America,  and  sent  over  his 
son  to  select  and  buy.  A  providence  directed 
him  to  the  region  covered  by  our  story.  He  en- 
tered an  immense  tract,  part  of  it  for  speculation 
and  part  of  it  for  a  gentleman's  country-seat  and 
demesne.  After  indulging  the  pleasing  day- 
dream of  his  *'  estates  in  America  "  for  a  number 
of  5'ears,  and  making  some  discoveries  of  tho 
nature  of  landed  property  in  the  frontiers,  a 
division  of  it  was  finally  made  among  the  rela- 
tives he  had  induced  to  emigrate.  This  was 
Adam  Corrie,  Esq. 

In    1829   a   younger   brother,  in    the   Honiton 

lace  trade,  at  St.  Neots,  in ,  being  unsettled 

in  his  business  by  adverse  providences,  determin- 
ed to  emigrate.  Immediately  closing  up  his  af- 
fairs, he  embarked  for  America  and  reached 
Decker's  Prairie  by  August.  He  came  to  settld 
and  entered  on  the  business  contemplated  with 
characteristic  vigor.  He  purchased  the  farms  of 
four  of  the  old  settlers,  the  patriarchs  of  a  large 
circle  of  relatives,  friends  and  retainers,  who  be- 
ing thus  dislodged  moved  off  in  a  body  further 
west. 

Eobert  Corrie  was  a  Scotchman  by  birth  and 
training,  and  by  temperament  ardent,  restless, 
and  irrepressible.     Ho  was  born  on  the  old  an- 


BEAUTIFUL    LIVES.  125 

cestral  estates  in  the  vale  of  the  Sol  way,  and 
fished  and  floated  all  his  boyhood  well-nigh  on 
the  bays  and  nooks  of  the  neighboring  ocean, 
and  sighed  for  sea-salmon  to  the  end  of  his  days. 
He  was  educated  at  Dumfries.  While  there  he 
enjoyed  a  privilege  in  which  sny  Scotchman 
would  have  gloried.  Eobert  Buni>  u^cd  to  come 
over  on  Saturday  frequently  lu  bi-t  tkrast  with 
the  principal,  an  old  and  genial  friend.  These 
were  grand  occasions  for  the  boys,  who  never  for- 
got the  songs  and  the  wondrous  talk  they  heard 
as  ihoj  all  lingered  and  lingered  around  the  ta- 
ble. The  impression  made  by  these  scenes  was 
never  erased.  The  name  of  Eobert  Burns  never 
failed  to  fire  his  imagination  and  memory,  and 
Bet  the  eyes  to  glowing  even  in  old  age.  "When 
he  came  away  from  his  native  land,  he  brought 
a  trifling  tuft  of  grass  from  the  Poet's  grave,  and 
treasured  the  frail  and  faded  memento  until  it 
dropped  little  by  little  to  dust.  In  his  old  age 
it  was  his  custom  to  sit  with  "  dear  auld  Eobin's" 
poems  on  one  side  of  his  chair,  and  the  Bible  on 
the  other,  and  to  read  out  of  each  alternately;  but 
before  the  end  came  even  '*  Eobin "  was  laid 
away. 

At  the  time  he  settled,  as  above  detailed,  he 
was  not  a  '-communicating  member,"  but  he  had 
a  Scotchman's  pride  and  love  of  the  Presbyterian 


126  BEAUTIFUL  LIVES. 

Church.  To  him,  it  was  the  Church  of  his  fa- 
thers, the  Church  of  the  martyrs,  and  fully  pos- 
sessed his  heart.  In  these  preferences  he  was  by 
no  means  as  meek  as  his  brethren.  Nothing  ir- 
ritated him  go  soon,  or  more  hopelessly  upset  his 
equanimity,  than  to  come  in  contact  with  the 
misrepresentations  of  the  faith  and  order  of  tho 
Church,  that  he  found  everywhere  afloat  around 
him.  Whoever  it  might  be  that  uttered  one  in 
his  hearing,  or  wherever,  the  off'ender  was  sure  to 
be  set  right  on  the  spot  or  demolished  with  some 
sarcasm.  His  views  of  the  energy  and  enter- 
prise becoming  a  Christian  partook  of  his  na- 
ture. 

Mrs.  Sarah  (Herbert)  Corrie,  his  wife,  was  a 
woman  of  rare  excellence.  Born  in  Olney,  the 
daughter  of  a  Dissenter,  she  was  converted  un- 
der the  preaching  of  Christopher  Anderson.  It 
was  a  noble  epoch  when  she  grew  up  to  woman- 
hood, and  she  was  in  the  midst  of  the  stir  of 
awakening  life.  Newton  and  Scott,  although 
gone  then,  had  preached  in  Olney  so  long  as  to 
leave  the  contagion  of  their  exalted  piety.  Cow- 
per  was  living  at  Weston  Underwood  until  she 
was  thirteen  years  old.  Wilberforce,  the  philan- 
thropist, was  in  the  midst  of  bis  career.  Robert 
Hall  and  Andrew  Fuller  and  Leigh  Richmond 
were   in    their   glorious  prime.     Tho  missionary 


BEAUTIFUL    LIVES.  127 

spirit  was  awakening  among  the  Churches  as  in 
the  "years  of  ancient  times."  Edmund  Burke 
and  Pitt  and  Fox  were  in  the  British  Parlia- 
ment. The  spirit  of  a  new  and  better  life  was 
breathing  in  Church  and  State,  arousing  great 
thoughts  and  great  men.  Sarah  Herbert  was 
possessed  of  a  mind  to  be  touched  and  thrilled 
with  the  lofty  inspiration  of  the  time;  so  she 
grew  up.  When  she  reached  America,  with  her 
husband,  she  was  ii  the  noontide  of  her  life. 
Such  was  the  wife  and  mother  in  the  new  house- 
hold. Her  mental  capacity  was  equal  to  any  duty 
that  life  might  bring.  Her  comprehension  of 
things  was  bold  and  satisfying,  her  views  inde- 
pendent, her  memory  "clear  as  a  brook  in  June," 
her  resolution  inflexible  when  on^ce  decided,  her 
affections  ardent,  her  disposition  gentle  and  be- 
nevolent, her  piety  of  a  thoughtful  and  childlike 
spirit,  fired  with  the  mental  glow  and  elevation 
of  Anderson's  and  Robert  Hall's  and  Fuller's  elo- 
quence. Her  thirst  for  knowledge  was  insatiable. 
History,  biography,  books  of  travel,  the  English 
poets,  the  works  of  the  elder  divines — as  Baxter, 
Flavel,  Cecil,  Bunyan,  [N'ewton,  Scott,  etc.,  the 
"  modern  essayists,"  missionary  periodicals,  week- 
ly papers,  one  American  (secular)  and  one  Brit- 
ish (religious),  with  their  able  expositions  of  all 
current  questions,  these,  with  her  well-read  Bible, 


128  BEAUTIFUL    LIVES. 

more  precious  than  all — formed  the  sterling  ali- 
ment on  which  her  mind  fed  with  intensest  de- 
light, and  on  which  it  daily  grew  in  beauty,  bril- 
liancy, and  wisdom. 

From  the  time  that  these  two  had  fairly  estab- 
lished themselves  their  house  became  the  scene 
of  most  agreeable  resort.  The  cultivated,  the 
thoughtful,  the  enterprising,  the  pious,  in  all  the 
country  around,  found  there  an  open  door  and 
genial  company.  The  outset  was  plain  and 
practical,  as  became  an  English  home  transplant- 
ed to  these  scenes,  but  the  social  entertainment 
was  such  as  was  not  often  to  be  met  within  a 
"farm-house"  in  any  land.  Mrs.  Corrie  had  the 
happy  art  of  calling  up  themes  congenial  to  the 
company,  as  though  spontaneously,  around  the 
fireside  or  the  hospitable  board.  The  conversa- 
tion would  be  kept  out  of  unpleasant  eddies  until 
the  sparkling  current  began  to  flow,  and  then 
there  would,  somehow,  such  an  air  of  intellectual 
exhilaration  pervade  the  company;  such  practi- 
cal and  common-sense  views  of  things  be  suggest- 
ed, that  all  felt  at  ease  and  free  to  contribute  to 
the  interview.  In  the. animated  scene  our  impa- 
tient, restive  Scotchman  presided  as  the  landlord 
in  true  English  guise,  and  by  his  side  was  his 
gifted  wife,  with  her  deep,  busy,  bonnie  eyes, 
intelligence  and  benignity  speaking  in  her  face, 
and  the  law  of  kindness  on  her  lips. 


BEAUTIFUL  LIVES.  129 

Those  spirited  and  racy  days  have  not  been 
forgotten.  The  picture  survives  in  the  memory 
of  friends,  who  so  often  have, 

"Formed  the  circle  round  the  ingle  wide." 

Mr.  Corrie  sitting  in  his  cozy  corner,  fidgety 
"irith  the  warmth  of  his  feelings,  blurting  out 
BOute  vehement  joke,  or  telling,  with  moistened 
eyes,  some  tale  of  wrong,  or  want,  or  wrangling, 
with  some  neighbor,  across  the  fireplace,  on  some 
rustic  issue,  while  his  faithful  dog  sits  by  on  his 
haunche^^,  watching  his  master's  eye:  Mrs.  Cor- 
rie, meanwhile,  wholly  enlisted  in  the  profitable 
entertainment  of  the  company,  busy  talking  or 
listening,  watching  each  pause  in  the  conversa- 
tion to  introduce,  with  an  unobtrusive  grace  and 
tact,  some  higher  and  more  thoughtful  theme. 

But  to  the  family  the  sweetest  time  of  all  tho 
day  was  the  early  evening  before  the  candles 
were  lit.  The  cares  of  the  busy  day  being  closed 
up,  every  living  thing  about  the  farm  safely 
"housed  and  tended,"  all  anxiety  was  duly  dis- 
missed, and  the  members  of  the  household  gath- 
ered in  the  family  room.  Perhaps  the  success  or 
failures  of  the  day  would  be  discussed  with  many 
a  wise  proverb  or  pungent  joke  interspersed;  or 
perhaps  a  simple  story  of  an  adventure  of  some 
of  them  in  corn-field,  or  harvest,  or  fallows,  or, 


130  BEAUTIFUL    LIVES. 

perchance,  in  hunting  or  fishing,  it  mattered  not, 
it  was  made  the  occasion  by  the  parents  of  sug- 
gesting grave  and  sober  lessons  wrung  from  ex- 
perience. Anything  free  and  real  to  introduce 
the  evening  Gradually  the  conversation  would 
rise.  Anecdotes  would  be  introduced,  stories  of 
the  great  and  good,  scraps  of  ^  ersonal  history, 
and  by  and  by,  very  liiiely,  some  interestirg  and 
profitable  question  would  suggest  itself  to  their 
minds,  and  ere  they  were  aware  of  it,  the  ani- 
mated company  would  find  their  interest  enlisted 
in  it.  Then  love  and  wisdom  reigned.  All  waa 
made  to  conduce  to  truth,  sobriety,  good  sense  and 
virtue.  How  happily  the  hours  would  fly  over 
them  !  In  due  time  candles  would  be  lit,  and 
books  and  papers  introduced;  and  later  still, 
when  the  hour  came  for  the  family  to  separate, 
"the  big  ha'  Bible  "  would  be  laid  on  the  table, 
and  all  be  reverently  ended  with  prayer. 

"  From  scenes  like  these  Old  Scotia's  grandeur  springs," 

This  fine,  old-time  household,  sheltered  by  the 
gentle  hand  of  Providence,  remained  unbroken 
clear  down  to  1864,  when  it  was  suddenly  dis- 
Bolved  by  the  peaceful  departure  of  the  sainted 
parents.  They  "  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in 
their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were  not  di- 
vided." 


BEAUTIFUL    LIVES.  131 

This  portrait  of  domestic  life,  upon  which  the 
reader  has  looked,  in  its  main  features  was  not 
unfrequent  among  the  better  class  of  English  set- 
tlers, of  the  past  generation,  in  Southeastern 
Illinois.  Their  long  meals,  spiced  with  more  or 
less  vigorous  "table-talk,"  their  summer  twilight 
and  winter  evening  gatherings  of  the  family,  at 
the  close  of  each  day,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  a 
familiar  interview,  formed  a  standing  feature  of 
their  domestic  life.  The  conversation  in  which 
they  delighted  sprung  out  of  their  experiences, 
their  observations  of  life  and  men,  the  opinions 
derived  from  books  and  study;  and  then  each 
landlord  was  quite  likely  to  have  some  favorite 
hobby,  on  which  he  was  accustomed  to  expatiate 
at  large.  All  this,  in  their  social  habits,  made 
their  houses  remarkable  for  intelligence  and  hos- 
pitality. 

Is  the  art  of  conversation  dying  out  ?  This 
question,  often  asked,  has  received  different  an- 
swers, according  to  the  standard  adopted.  If 
by  conversation  is  meant  a  superficial  and  ro- 
mancing chattiness,  a  style  that  savors  in  its  best 
expression  more  of  gossip  than  anything  better, 
and  that  is  a  display  of  the  lighter  qualities  of 
the  mind  and  spirits,  and  the  chief  end  of  which  is 
pastime,  then,  certainly,  it  is  rather  improving 
than  otherwise.     But  if  it  be  conceived  of  as  the 


132  BEAUTIFUL    LIVES. 

play  of  the  nobler  elements  of  judgment,  taste 
and  sensibility,  pervaded  by  a  delight  in  the 
good,  and  the  true,  and  the  beautiful,  as  fetching 
its  finest  inspirations  from  eo  lofty  a  source  as 
this:  the  art  by  which  a  company  discusf-es  what- 
ever theme  rises  to  their  attention,  with  the  glow 
of  social  sympathy,  the  enlistment  of  thought 
and  feeling,  imagination,  humor,  all  animated  by 
the  mental  collision,  and  eech  one  contributing 
his  raciest  reflections;  this,  that  is  equally  re- 
moved from  frivolous  gossip  on  the  one  hand,  and 
heated  wrangling  on  the  other;  this  interchange 
of  intellectual  convictions,  in  a  broad  and  genial 
atmosphere  of  social  and  mental  enjoyment, 
it  is  ieared  is  disappearing  from  some  house- 
holds, where  once  it  prevailed.  Indeed  it  can 
not  exist  where  there  is  not  intelligence  and  a 
vigorous  mental  life;  and  it  can  not  survive  from 
one  generation  to  another  unless  there  is  leisure, 
books,  and  the  means  of  intellectual  culture  and 
a  social  stimulus,  all  of  which  are  conditions  that 
rarely  obtain  long  in  our  new  and  unsettled  so- 
ciety. But  what  a  charm  this  feature  of  their  hab- 
its lent  to  the  homes  of  the  early  English  settlers  I 
In  Kr.  Corrie's  household  the  members  antic- 
ipated the  evening  interview  with  genuine  in- 
terest. It  was  rarely  that  some  neighbor  was 
not  in  the  fireside  circle.     If  any  old  friend  was 


BEAUTIFUL    LIVES.  133 

on  the  roads,  within  reach,  at  nightfall,  he  was 
sure  to  find  his  way  to  the  open,  hospitable  door. 
The  children  sat  by  to  hear  the  vigorous  and  en- 
tertaining talk,  the  burden  of  which  was  sure  to 
be  something  improving.  And  so,  better  than 
by  any  other  means — though  other  means  were 
not  lacking — they  were  educated. 

Following  them,  in  1832,  there  came  another 
family  from  England.  They  were  very  poor  in 
this  world's  goods,  but  passing  rich  in  faith  and 
good  works.  Thomas  Beesley,  the  husband  and 
father,  was  a  village  blacksmith  in  Bedfordshire, 
and  on  reaching  Decker's  Prairie  he  bought  a 
little  patch  of  land,  and  set  up  a  "  smithy."  They 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  England, 
of  a  pure,  simple  piety  and  love  to  all  the  saints, 
and  Avell  instructed  in  the  Scriptures.  They  at 
once  identified  themselves  with  the  cause  of 
religion.  They  went  with  "joyful  haste  "  into 
the  prayer-meeting  and  the  Sabbath-school. 

At  first  afflictions  befell  them.  The^e  was  sick- 
ness in  the  family,  and  losses  of  various  kinds; 
and,  to  crown  all,  one  day  the  "smithy"  took 
fire  and  burned  down,  and  all  was  to  begin  again. 
*'  They  were  cast  down  but  not  destroyed."  Had 
not  God  said:  "Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good> 
and  thou  shalt  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily, 
thou  shalt  be  fed?"     Mr.  Beesley  was  apt  to  de- 


134  BEAUTIFUL    LIVES. 

Bpond,  but  his  saintly  wife  was  sure  tbat  the 
'*  promises  were  yea  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  in  him 
Amen  ;"  and  so  they  cheered  themselves  and  staid 
on  the  faithfulness  of  God.  And  they  were  not 
left  to  be  ashamed  of  their  confidence. 

This  devout  and  happy  pair  were  separated  in 
1851  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Beesley.  Mrs.  Beesley 
was  graciously  preserved  to  bless  her  family  and 
the  pious  friends  with  the  holy  cheerfulness  ol 
her  counsels  and  example  until  October,  1865. 

Her  saintly  life  was  a  lovely  illustration  ol 
piety.  As  to  temporal  affairs,  her  experience  was 
one  of  poverty  and  discipline  for  much  of  her 
days,  but  all  had  been  so  sanctified  that  there 
was  no  vestige  of  her  trials  left  in  her  character, 
but  a  sweet  resignation  to  a  loved  and  precious 
Savior,  and  a  cheerfulness  that  sprang  from  too 
deep  a  fountain  of  peace  for  the  storms  of  this 
world  to  seriously  disturb.  Her  purity  of  soul, 
humility,  contentment,  benevolence,  her  love  for 
Jesus,  and  enjoyment  of  the  comforts  of  his 
grace,  spoke  out  of  her  gentle  face.  The  gosjjel 
was  indeed  and  in  truth  ''good  news"  to  her. 
She  was  slender  and  delicately  formed,  a  lady  in 
spirit  and  manners  by  nature,  and  a  most 
precious  child  of  grace.  Often  have  her  pious 
friends  felt  that  if  some  one  adequate  to  the 
task  could  have  been  found — the  poet-hand,  for 


BEAUTIFUL    LIVES.  135 

example,  that  depicted  the  character  and  life  of 
Elizabeth  Walbridge — to  draw  the  spiritual  por- 
trait of  this  lovely  saint,  what  a  mo  lei  of  piety, 
what  a  legacy  to  the  righteous  in  every  land  and 
age  would  be  the  life  of  good  Alicia  Beesley, 

The  next  3^ear,  at  midsummer  (1833),  Adam 
Shepard,  Esq.,  came  from  New  Hamprhire  and 
entered  a  tmct  of  land  adjoining  Mr.  Bliss' 
farm,  and  made  his  home,  as  it  proved,  for 
life.  This  gentleman  was  a  scholar,  too,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Middlebury  College,  in  the  class  of  1826. 
His  father.  Col.  Morrill  Shepard,  of  Canterbury, 
New  Hampshire,  had  bestowed  on  this  son  every 
advantage.  His  education  began  when  he  was 
but  twelve  years  old,  at  the  Pemberton  Academy. , 
After  graduating  he  spent  one  year  in  teaching 
in  the  valley  of  Virginia,  and  then  returned  to 
New  England,  where  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  with  Ezekiel  Webster.  After  the  untimely 
death  of  that  talented  man  (who  fell  dead  while 
pleading  an  important  case  at  Concord,  New 
Hampshire),  he  pursued  his  studies  with  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Nesmith,  of  Franklin,  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Such  was  the  man  who  reached  Mr.  B'iss,  with 
his  young  wife,  late  in  the  afternoon  ol  July  (ilh, 
1833.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  welcomed  tliem  cor- 
dially.    They  were  united  by  vaiious  ties.     Mr. 


136  BEAUTIFUL    LIVES. 

Shepard  had  been  prepared  for  college  by  tho 
venerable  Dr.  Wood,  and  was  a  member  of  his 
family  at  the  very  time  that  Mr.  Bliss,  like 

'•  The  young  Locliinvar  came  out  of  the  West, "J 

as  we  have  told  before,  seeking  his  bride.  Mrs. 
Shepard  was  a  native  of  Boscaween,  trained  un- 
der Dr.  Wood's  pastoral  care  all  the  early  part 
of  her  life,  hopefully  converted  in  her  girlhood 
under  his  ministry.  She  had  thus  grown  up  in 
the  bosom  of  a  most  devout  community.  Sho 
and  Mrs.  Bliss  had  been  companions  in  other 
days,  and  were  familiar  with  the  same  friends 
and  associates. 

So  helj)  was  sent  from  far,  and  the  social  trans- 
formation" went  on. 


|»  |:W-|iiiif  ||fetifl5  pf  Irfslaftpg. 


:(i37) 


AN  OLD  TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.        139 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AN    OLD-TIME    MEETING   OF    PRESBYTERY. 

October  9,  1830. 

N  this  part  of  the  narrative  the  order  of  events 
has  not  been  rigidly  adhered  to.  The  design 
has  been  to  so  group  them  together  as  to 
show  the  growth  of  Mr.  Bliss'  usefulness, 
and  the  progress  of  religion  in  the  field  commit- 
ted to  him.  And  so  a  notable  event  in  the  old- 
time  memories  of  the  country-side  has  been  un- 
wittingly passed  over  by  the  reader — the  meet- 
ing of  the  Center  Presbytery,  Synod  of  Indiana, 
at  Mr.  Bliss'  residence,  October  9th,  1830. 

The  long-gone  scene  lives  still  in  the  memory 
of  the  few,  the  very  few,  survivors  who  onco 
took  part  in  it;  and  the  authentic  account  of  its 
transactions,  doubtless,  exists,  sleeping  some- 
where, mute  and  forgotten,  in  the  old  "records." 
But  there  was  one  feature  of  its  business  that 
gives  that  session  of  Presbytery  an  historical  im- 
portance. We  shall  learn,  too,  much  that  may 
interest  the  curious  and  the  devout  of  those  times 


140       AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY. 

and  men.  Let  us  endeavor,  therefore,  to  repro- 
duce the  scene  as  it  once  aj^peared. 

The  "  Center  Presbytery  of  Illinois  "  was  con- 
stituted by  the  Synod  of  Indiana  in  1829.  It  em- 
braced the  State.  The  second  "  fall  meeting " 
was  held  on  Decker's  Prairie.  "  The  brethren 
came  from  fifty  to  three  hundred  miles  to  attend 
it."  Among  them  were  men  of  conspicuous 
talent  and  energy.  Eev.  John  Millot  Ellis,  the 
founder  of  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville,  Illinois; 
Bev.  J.  M.  Sturtevant,  D.  D.,  its  honored  Presi- 
dent; Pev.  Theron  Baldwin,  "Secretary  of  the 
Society  for  Promoting  Collegiate  and  Theological 
Education  at  the  West;"  and  other  honored 
names  are  found  on  the  roll. 

Our  hard-wrought  missionary,  B.  F.  Spilman, 
was  chosen  Moderator,  and  John  McDonald, 
A.  M.,  long  pastor  of  Pleasant  Prairie,  was  the 
Temporary  Clerk.  There  were  fourteen  min- 
isters present. 

The  meeting  was  held  at  Mr.  Bliss'  residence, 
as  stated  above.  During  the  summer  he  had 
built  a  new  house.  The  family  occupied  the  L, 
and  the  main  part  of  the  building  was  left  with- 
out partitions,  and  formed  an  open  hall  eight- 
een by  thirty-six  feet,  that  was  filled  with  tem- 
porary seats  for  this  occasion.  Here  the  Presby- 
tery held  its  sessions.  Here  the  brethren  preached 


AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.       141 

the  word,' and  the  people  pressed  to  hear.  Cu- 
riosity was  excited  by  the  appearance  of  so  many 
strangers.  And  then  everj^ thing  was  favorable. 
It  was  lovely,  ripe  0<3t(fber,  the  heat  of  summer 
assuaged,  the  weather  superb.  To  the  farmers  it 
was  a  time  of  leisure — the  long  rural  holiday  that 
comes  after  wheat-sowing.  And  so,  of  course,  the 
meetings  were  crowded  day  and  night.  The  ven- 
erable Mr.  Lippincott  says:  "  Our  services  were 
not  without  the  divine  presence.  At  times  the 
silence  and  solemnity  were  awful."  We  may 
safely  infer  from  this  remark  that  the  exercises 
were  often  very  interesting,  for  the  congregations 
were- motley  throngs.  Wabash  Church  numbered 
but  twenty- nine,  counting  every  member  within 
a  radius  of  ten  miles  of  the  pastor's  house.  Pro- 
fessing Christians  of  every  name  must  have 
made  up  but  a  small  part  of  the  crowds  that 
filled  the  house  and  all  the  grounds  around.  The 
bold  and  reckless  character  of  the  mass  of  them 
may  be  inferred  from  what  has  been  said  of  the 
general  state  of  society.  So  that  when  we  hear 
that  the  "  silence  and  solemnity  of  the  meetings 
were  sometimes  awful,"  we  conclude  at  once  that 
God  gave  his  blessed  truth  an  able  advocacy  and 
a  noble  hearing. 

But  the  gem   had  a  wild  and  rustic  setting. 
Around  them,  as  they  looked  out  of  the  open 


142        AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OP  PRESBYTERY. 

windows,  was  nothing  in  view  but  the  wide  prai- 
rie, covered  with  its  enormous  autumn  growth  of 
grass  and  weeds,  gay  now  with  brilliant,  coarse 
flowers;  the  natural  pasture  for  herds  of  cattle 
and  deer,  the  lurking-place  for  hares,  foxes, 
wolves,  wildcats,  panthers,  catamounts  and  bears. 
This  last-named  animal  was  not  numerous,  but 
was  sometimes  met  with  on  the  small  water- 
courses and  in  unfrequented  places,  and  the 
knowledge  of  their  existence  gave  a  spice  of 
danger  to  an  evening  stroll  along  any  of  the 
lonely  paths  that  led  through  the  high  grass  to 
the  neighboring  cabins.  Their  rest  at  night  was 
disturbed  by  the  cries  of  birds  and  prowling 
beasts  of  l)reyj  and  in  the  morning  they  were 
roused  up  betimes  by  the  piping  quails,  or  the 
wild  call  of  the  turkeys  and  prairie  fowls,  and 
the  howling  wolves  in  the  rank  wilderness 
around  them. 

But  they  had  before  them,  too,  an  emblem  of 
the  changes  and  progress  of  the  country  that 
were  to  be  expected  in  the  teeming  future.  Un- 
der the  "aged  oaks"'  yet  stood  the  lowly, 
primitive  cabin,  with  the  "lean-to"  that  Mr. 
Bliss  and  the  sainted  May  had  built  for  them- 
selves in  1818.  This,  whitewashed  as  of  old,  and 
fitted  up  by  one  of  the  neatest  and  most  practi- 
cal   housekeepers    in    the   world,  was    the   cozy 


AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.       143 

<5ubiculum  where  Mr.  Bliss  lodged  all  of  his 
guests. 

But  just  a  few  feet  to  the  west,  where  the  rust- 
ling leaves  of  the  oaks  threw  their  shadows  on 
the  porch,  was  the  "  7iew  house,''  a  commodious 
and  substantial  frame.  The  lesson  taught  by 
this  scene  was  one  that  the  Presbytery  urgently 
felt.  Their  present  work  was  one  of  prepara- 
tion. If  all  now  was  strong,  rough,  untamed, 
yet  a  little  while  to  come  and  the  State  would  be 
filled  with  population,  enterprise  and  wealth. 
They  were  sitting  at  the  springs  of  future  great- 
ness, and  needed  wisdom,  grace  and  zeal  for  their 
work. 

The  historical  interest  of  this  meeting  of  Pres- 
bytery centers  around  the  far-sighted  measures 
then  taken  to  promote  the  Sabbath-school  cause 
in  their  field.  Sabbath- School  Missions  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  their  efficiency  for  good,  their  ne- 
cessity ;  this  was  the  theme  around  which  all  the 
life  of  the  meeting  ^clustered. 

Much  had  been  attempted  under  the  auspices 
of  the  "American  Sunday-School  Union,"  but  a 
thorough  and  systematic  endeavor  to  fill  the  ris- 
ing State  with  Sabbath-schools  and  Sabbath- 
school  libraries  and  influences,  originated  in  this 
meeting  of  the  Center  Presbytery  of  Illinois. 
There  was  present,  to  promote  this,  a  young  and 


144       AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY. 

gifted  minister,  in  his  fervent  prime,  the  Eev. 
Artemas  Bullard.  The  interesting  providence  by 
whicli  this  noble  spirit  was  brought  among  themi 
is  thus  narrated  by  the  Eev.  Thomas  Lippincott 
himself  an  actor  in  the  scene.  It  is  valuable  as 
an  illustration  of  that  glorious  Providence  that 
rules  in  all  things,  however  trivial  they  may 
Beem,  and  makes  them  to  "  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God." 

"  Our  course,"  says  he,  "  from  Yandalia  through 
the  '  Grand  Prairie,'  led  us  to  cross  the  Yincen- 
nes  and  St.  Louis  road,  at  Maysville,  then  little, 
if  anything,  more  than  a  tavern.  We,  i.  e.,  nearly 
all  the  Presbytery  from  the  west  side  of  the 
State,  arrived  at  the  inn  just  at  nightfall,  and 
proceeded  to  secure  lodgings.  Whilst  attending 
to  our  horses  it  was  rumored  that  a  minister 
from  Massachusetts  on  his  way  to  the  w  st  part 
of  the  State,  had  arrived  just  before  us,  and  was 
then  in  the  house.  I  believe  something  was  said 
with  regard  to  his  mission.  '  Let  us  take  him 
with  us,'  was  the  spontaneous  and  universal 
thought.  An  interview  and  explanation  resulted 
in  his  accompanying  us  the  next  day,  and  then 
in  a  cordial  understanding  that  his  '  Sunday- 
School  Mission  '  was  recognized  as  sent  of  God. 
We  were  delighted  with  him,  and,  I  believe,  the 
pleasure  was  mutual." 


AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.        145 

The  purpose  of  Mr.  Bullard's  mission  is  stated 
with  so  much  simplicity  by  Mr.  Bliss  in  his  "  Ke- 
port  to  the  Home  Missionary  Board,"  prepared 
after  the  rising  of  Presbytery,  that  we  can  do  no 
better  than  quote  from  it.  We  readily  see  that  the 
presence  of  this  gifted  man  had  "filled  their 
mouths  with  laughter,  and  their  tongues  with 
singing." 

"  Our  sorrow  and  grief,"  says  Mr.  Bliss,  refer- 
ring to  their  previous  discouragement  respecting 
the  training  of  the  youth  of  the  country,  "  were 
suddenly  turned  into  joy,  hope  and  high  expec- 
tation by  propositions  made  by  Mr.  Bullard, 
*  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Massachusetts 
Sabbath-School  Union,'  at  our  recent  meeting  of 
Presbytery.  That  *  State  Union  '  proposes  to 
take  Illinois  under  its  fostering  care,  as  it  re- 
spects Sabbath-school  operations,  appropriate 
funds  to  establish  a  general  '  depository '  of  Sab- 
bath-school books  for  the  supply  of  the  State, 
constantly  employ  a  traveling  agent  or  agents  to 
carry  the  Sabb'i.th  school  system  into  effect,  as 
far  as  practicable.  What  is  particularly  needed 
in  this  country,  they  propose  to  enter  largely 
into  the  '  emigration  scheme.'  Mr.  Bullard  is 
now  engaged  traversing  the  State,  to  ascertain 
the  existing  wants  as  to  Sab  bath- school  teach- 
ers.    The  object  is  when  those  wants  are  defi- 


146        AN  OLD  TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY. 

nitely  ascertained,  to  search  out  and  encourage 
pious  lay  members  of  Churches,  in  the  older 
States  (male  and  female),  to  emigrate  to  this 
country  and  settle  down,  in  their  respective  oc- 
cupations, with  special  reference  to  Sabbath- 
school,  and  other  benevolent  operations." 

Mr.  Bullard  laid  all  this  far-seeing  scheme 
open  before  the  Presbytery,  lie  urged  tiiem, 
ministers  and  laymen,  to  arouse  and  bestir  them- 
selves. "How  did  the  presence,  the  addresses, 
the  conversation  of  that  brother  cheer  us,"  says 
Mr.  Lippincott;  "  we  thanked  God  and  took  cour- 
age." The  definite  plan,  the  tangible  help,  the 
hopeful  spirit  of  the  enthusiastic  missionary, 
were  like  an  inspiration  in  their  counsels.  The 
brethren  enlisted  anew  in  the  Sabbath-school 
work.  Agents  were  sent  forth,  who  traversed 
the  State,  preaching  and  lecturing  on  the  godly 
training  of  the  young,  and  organizing  Sabbath- 
schools.  A  miglity  impetus  was  given  to  this 
cause,  so  vital  to  the  well-being  of  Church  and 
State.  "The  East,"  says  one,  "has  more  than 
fulfilled  all  her  promises  to  the  Christian  work- 
ers in  Illinois."* 

*  Mr.  Bullard  settled  afterward  at  St.  Louis,  as  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Cliurch  of  that  city.  He  was  emi- 
nent as  a  preacher  and  scholar,  and  was  honored  with  tho 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  While  yet  in  the  prime  of 
his  strength,  honors  and  usefulness,  he  was  cut  down  in  the 


AN  OLD-TIME    MEETING   OF   PRESBYTERY.       147 

But  is  it  not  a  curious  fact  that  this  arousing 
call  to  diligence,  in  this  most  potent  of  all  mis- 
sions, should  have  sounded  out  over  the  State 
from  so  quiet  a  work  and  amidst  such  humble 
surroundings?  How  broad  and  bright  a  stream 
has  risen  from  this  lowly  fountain!  The  impetu- 
ous current  has  had  many  a  check,  and  some- 
times has  almost  ceased  to  flow,  but  in  this  gen- 
eration we  are  permitted  to  behold  it  rising  with 
a  grander  tide  than  ever  before.  To  the  devout 
men — ministers  and  laymen — who  now  see  the 
great  State  filled  with  Evangelical  Churches, 
with  their  Schools,  their  Bible,  Tract,  Temper- 
ance and  Missionary  Agencies,  every  means  for 
maintaining  and  promoting  our  Protestant  re- 
ligion, this  humble  name — Wabash  Church — 
should  wear  a  hallowed  charm.  There  the  words 
of  cheer  were  spoken,  the  help  proffered,  the 
councils  formed,  and  the  decisive  steps  taken, 
that,  in  the  long  ye^rs,  have  led  to  it  all.  This 
is  the  cool,  sequestered  source  from  which  arose^ 
amidst  the  prayers  and  praises  of  devout  men, 

terrible  disaster  at  the  opening  of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  An 
excursion  train  went  out  in  honor  of  the  occasion,  freighted 
with  a  holiday  troup  of  the  most  enterprising  citizens,  many 
of  them  with  their  families.  In  crossing  the  Gasconade 
bridge  the  structure  gave  way,  and  the  cars  were  hurled,  one 
after  another,  with  crushing  ruin,  into  the  river.  Among 
the  killed  was  this  gifted  man  of  God. 


148       AN -OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY. 

in  October,  1830,  this  "  stream  that  is  making 
glad  the  City  of  God."^^ 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  narrative  it 
will  be  well  for  us  to  advert  to  the  interest  and 
zeal  that  was  felt  at  this  period  by  the  Eastern 
Churches  in  the  promotion  of  religion  in  the 
West. 

Dr.  B.  B.  Wisner  says  that  a  marked  impulse 
and  direction  were  given  to  this  interest — nay, 
that  the  "  American  Home  Missionary  Society  " 
arose  out  of  the  holy  enthusiasm  awakened  at 
the  ordination  of  one  of  these  very  men,  the 
Eev.  John  Mi  Hot  Ellis. 

This  beloved  disciple,  while  a  student  at  And- 
over,  in  1825,  was  much  exercised  in  mind  as  to 
what  part  of  the  field,  home  or  foreign,  he  should 
devote  himself.  "Now,"  he  writes  to  his  father, 
"  the  question  is,  how  and  where  can  I  spend  the 
short  period  of  my  life  most  for  the  good  of  the 
Church,  most  for  the  glory  of  Ilim  who  redeemed 

*  The  names  of  the  members  of  Presbytery  present  were 
Revs.  B.  F.  Spihiian,  Shawneetown ;  John  M.  Ellis,  Julian 
M.  Sturtevant,  Theron  Baldwin,  all  of  Jacksonville;  Solo- 
mon Hardy,  Greenville;  John  Mathewp,  Kaskaskia  ;  Thomas 
A.  Spilman,  Hillsljoro ;  John  Brick,  near  Jacksonville. 
Thomas  Lippincott,  Edwardsville;  John  Herrick,  CarroUton  ; 
Stephen  Bli.ss,  Centerville;  John  McDonald,  Benoni  Y.  Mes- 
senger, Cyrus  L.  Watson.  Rev.  Artemas  Bullard,  corre- 
sponding member. 


AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.        149 

US  to  God  by  his  blood?  Our  Western  country, 
with  a  population  of  three  millions,  and  increas- 
ing so  fast  as  to  double  it  four  years,  is  very 
destitute  of  established  institutions  of  the  gos- 
pel; and  yet  it  will,  in  a  very  few  years,  have  the 
governing  voice  in  our  national  counsels;  and 
then  what  will  become  of  our  bappy  country — 
•this  heritage  left  to  us  by  our  pious  ancestry, 
and  which  piety  alone  can  preserve?  >i<  jJc  * 
But  increase  the  moral  power  of  America  and  we 
shall  do  much  for  e£fecting  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen.  I  am  persuaded  that  I  have  the  pros- 
pect of  contributing  to  the  success  of  the  gospel 
in  India  more  effectually  by  laboring  in  this 
country,  than  by  going  there  in  person;  and  this, 
partly  in  view  of  my  own  situation,  and  partly 
in  view  of  the  importance  of  increasing  Amer- 
ica's moral  power,  in  raising  up  friends  to  mis- 
sions for  the  conversion  of  the  world." 

This  was  no  common  spirit  that  could  thus 
survey  the  world  and  stand  ready  to  cast  his  life 
wherever  the  Lord  should  indicate.  When  the 
question  was  settled  he  hastened  to  set  about  his 
work.  The  next  day  after  his  graduation  at 
Andover  he  was  ordained  by  a  "  council  "  in  the 
"Old  South  Church,"  Boston.  Dr.  Wisner  says: 
*'  This  ordination,  taking  place  the  next  day  after 
the   anniversary  at   Andover,  was  attended  by 


150         AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY. 

persons  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  Zion  from 
various  parts  of  the  country.  Several  of  these 
persons  from  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New 
York,  and  South  Carolina,  met  providentially  at 
my  house  the  next  day  and  had  their  attention 
called  to  the  desirableness  and  expediency  of 
forming  a  "  National  Domestic  Missionary  Socie- 
ty." After  discussion,  it  was  their  unanimous 
opinion  that  the  formation  of  such  a  Society  was 
desirable  and  practicable.  And  so  a  meeting  was 
resolved  on,  to  be  held  in  Boston,  June,  1826,  to 
advise  respecting  it,  and  in  the  May  following 
the  "  American  Home  Missionary  Society  "  was 
instituted  in  the  Brick  Church,  New  York. 

From  this  time  forward  the  home  missionary 
spirit  fostered  by  the  Society  rapidly  developed 
in  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States.  Mr.  Ellis  en- 
tered Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1825.  Th  ere  he  found 
but  three  Presbyterian  ministers:  B.  F.  Spilman, 
John  Brick  and  Mr.  Bliss.  His  fervent^  soul  was 
stirred  as  he  saw  the  open  door  for  present  use- 
fulness, and  the  boundless  prospects  of  the  future, 
and  the  supineness  of  the  Churches.  He  breathed 
a  holy  ardor  in  his  work.  The  story  of  his  in- 
cessant, joyful,  fruitful  labors,  and  his  glowing 
appeals  published  in  the  Society's  public  journals^ 
tended  mightily  to  arouse  the  attention  and  sym- 
pathy of  pious  people  and  direct  their  gaze  to  the 


AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.         151 

wondrous  "West.  As  intelligence  concerning  the 
field  increased,  the  cordial  interest  of  the  Churches 
increased. 

Still  another  motive  that  was  influencing  ex- 
tensively in  the  East  was  a  true  Christian  patri- 
otism. This  is  hinted  at  in  Ellis'  letter  to  his 
father.  '*  The  western  country,  now  destitute  of 
the  established  institutions  of  the  gospel,  would 
soon  hi*ve  the  governing  voice  in  the  national 
councils,  and  then  what  would  become  of  the 
heritage  of  liberty  left  us  by  our  pious  ancestry, 
and  that  piety  alone  could  preserve?"  This  senti- 
ment began  to  animate  society  all  through  New 
England.  It  was  dwelt  on  in  the  religious  litera- 
ture of  the  times;  ''Christianity  is  essential  to 
our  political  safety."  The  interest  this  would 
give  to  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  West,  in  its 
nascent  youth,  can  be  readily  perceived.  It  en- 
listed statesmen  and  patriots  of  every  class  as  it 
gained  currency.  For  if  there  was  one  lesson 
that  the  Puritans  had  learned  in  generations  of 
bloody  struggles  for  human  rights,  it  was  that 
there  can  be  no  constitutional  liberty  preserved, 
where  the  religion  of  Jesus  is  not,  and  a  Protest- 
ant civilization.  This  must  become  Emmanuel's 
land,  this  great  Kepublic,  if  it  were  to  remain 
free. 

Quickened  by  these  motives  they  undertook  to 


152         AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY. 

plant  the  iDstituiions  of  religion  all  through  the 
growing  West.  Their  missionaries,  many  of  them 
men  of  truly  Apostolical  ejDirit,  did  wondrous  ser- 
vice for  Grod,  in  establishing  Churches  through- 
out Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri,  pro- 
moting the  Bible,  Sabbath-school,  and  Temper- 
ance causes,  and  in  starting  every  good  influence 
among  the  communities  they  reached. 

Standing  in  the  midst  of  this  gallant  band  of 
laborers  now  organized  as  the  Center  Presbytery 
of  Illinois,  and  gathered  at  Mr.  Bliss',  we  can 
look  out  over  their  vast  field,  and  see  what  "  God 
had  wrought."  The  Presbyterian  Churches  in 
Illinois  were  on  the  line  of  the  Wabash  Kiver 
on  the  east,  and  the  Mississippi  on  the  west,  and 
were  separated  by  the  vast  prairies  in  the  middle 
of  the  State.  They  were  at  first  but  slightly 
acquainted  with  each  other,  and  were  under  the 
care  of  different  Presbyteries.  Those  in  the 
west  were  included  in  the  Presbytery  of  Mis- 
souri, which  was  constituted  December  18,  1817. 
The  First  Church  in  that  region  was  the  "  Shoal 
Creek,"  organized  March  10,  1819. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Wabash  the  work  began 
earlier.  In  1810  or  1811  the  E^^v.  James  Mc- 
Gready,  of  the  Muhlenburg  Prt  sbyter^^  Ken- 
tucky, made  missionary  tcaiis  into  Southern 
Indiana,  and   having  penetrated  into  Illinois  as 


AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.         153 

far  as  White  County,  to  a  settlement  of  emi- 
grants from  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky,  he  organized  there  the  "  Sharon 
Church  "  in  1816.  This  is  the  oldest  Presby- 
terian, and  so  far  as  known  the  oldest  Protestant, 
Church  in  the  State. 

Golconda  was  organized  in  1819.  These  all 
belonged  to  the  Muhlenburg  Presbytery,  Synod  of 
Kentucky,  until  1827,  when  the  Ohio  Eiver  was 
made  the  boundary  between  that  Synod  and  the 
newly  constituted  Synod  of  Indiana. 

In  1823,  by  order  of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky, 
all  the  Churches  in  Indiana,  north  of  a  line 
drawn  due  west  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ken- 
tucky Eiver,  were  constituted  into  Salem  Pres- 
bytery. 

In  1824  the  Churches  in  Illinois,  north  of  a 
line  drawn  due  West  from  the  mouth  of  White 
Eiver,  were  incorporated  into  that  Presbytery. 
This  was  the  first  ecclesiastical  connection  that 
these  Missionary  Churches  had  ever  enjoyed,  viz: 
Wabash,  and  Paris,  and  Newhope,  in  Edgar 
County. 

In  1825  thn  Sa'em  Presbytery  was  divided,  and 
Wabash  P--csbvtei-y.  was  constituted  in  the  west- 
ern p  irt  am)  Madison  in  the  eastern.  Of  course 
Mr.  Bliss  by  this  became  a  member  of  Wabash 
Presbytery. 


154        AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY. 

May  29,  1826,  the  General  Assembly  consti- 
tnted  the  Presbyteries  of  Salem,  Wabash,  Madi- 
Bon  and  Missouri  into  the  "  Synod  of  Indi- 
ana." 

The  Presbytery  of  Missouri,  here  mentioned, 
embraced  all  of  Missouri,  and  almost  all  of  Illi- 
nois, as  we  have  seen.  In  1825  there  were,  besides 
those  in  the  Wabash  Yalley,  eight  or  ten  Church- 
es in  the  Slate,  but  not  one  resident  Presbyterian 
minister.  All  the  noble  men  who  had  organized 
them,  and  supplied  them  up  to  this  date,  had 
been  sent  out  chiefly  by  the  "  Massachusetts  "  and 
*'  Connecticut  Missionary  Societies,"  as  itiner- 
ants. But  just  at  this  period,  1825,  they  so 
changed  their  policy,  that  afterward  the  mis- 
sionaries were  to  be  "  planted  down  with  the 
Churches."  Under  this  plan  so  many  ministers 
settled  in  the  State,  that  in  1828  the  Synod  of 
Indiana  erected  the  new  "Center  Presbytery  of 
Illinois,"  embraciDgthe  whole  State. 

The  last  meeting  of  this  court  the  reader  has 
looked  upon.  By  the  next  year,  1831,  the  Pres- 
bytery, having  increased  by  new  arrivals  to 
twenty,  was  divided  into  three:  "  Illinois,"  "^Kas- 
kaskia,"  "Sangamon,"  and  these,  together  with 
"Missouri  Presbytery,"  were  constituted  into  the 
"  Synod  of  Illinois." 

This  old-time  meeting  of  Presbytery,  where 


AN  OLD-TIME  MEETING  OF  PRESBYTERY.         155 

every  minister  almost  in  the  State  was  gathered,* 
has  formed  a  quiet  landing- place  in  the  narrative, 
on  which  we  could  stand  and  *'  look  before  and 
after,"  and  see  the  general  flow  of  events  in  those 
times. 

Bat  the  fruitful  interview  soon  closed,  and  the 
company  separated.  How  keenly  our  honored 
pastor  must  have  felt,  now  with  new  force,  that 
the  *'  harvest  truly  was  plenteous,  and  the  labor- 
ers were  few!  His  nearest  neighbor  in  the  min- 
istry was  B.  F.  Spilman,  sixty  miles  away,  and 
all  the  rest  were  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to 
three  hundred. 

But  God  was  sending  help.  There  was  a  young 
licentiate  itinerating  at  this  time  within  the  re- 
gions to  the  south  and  west,  who  for  some  reason 
was  not  present  at  Presbytery,  but  who,  like 
Stephen,  was  "  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  To  him  the  reader  must  now  be  intro- 
duced. 

*The  only  ministers  known  to  have  been  absent  from  this 
meeting  of  Presbytery,  who  were  then  in  the  State,  were  the 
Rev.  J.  G.  Bergen,  of  Springfield,  and  Isaac  Bennet,  Licen- 
tiate. 


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REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  159 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. — A  PREFATORY  SKETCH. 
A.  D.  1829-1856. 

NE  freezing  night  in  March,  1831,  a   licenti- 
ate, the   Kev.  Isaac   Bennet,  called   at  Mr. 
Bliss'  and  lodged.     As  this  was  a  notable 
event  in  Mr.  Bliss'  life,  we  will  now  devote 
a  considerable  space  to  this  interesting  guest. 

Mr.  Bennet  was  a  native  of  Backs  County^ 
Pennsylvania. 

He  graduated  at  Jefferson  College,  in  1827,  with 
the  highest  honors  of  his  class.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  class  in  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  and  was  licensed  by  the  Addison  As- 
sociation, at  Monkton,  Vermont,  June  4,  1829. 
Just  at  this  point  in  his  history,  God  interposed, 
we  know  not  with  what  motive,  to  turn  his  heart 
to  the  West.  August  3,  1829,  he  was  commission- 
ed by  the  "  Assembly's  Board  of  Domestic  Mis- 
sions," to  the  Churches  of  Carmi  and  Sharon,  in 
White   County,   Illinois.      Here  he   labored  for 


160  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

atout  six  monthB,  and  theD  dissatisfied,  for  some 
reason, with  the  field,  he  started  out  on  a  mission- 
ary tour  toward  the  West  and  Northwest.  "  The 
gospel  for  the  destitute,"  seems  even  then  to  have 
been  as  a  fire  in  his  bones.  In  "the  regions  be- 
yond "  we  lose  sight  of  him,  until  in  ISoO,  when 
he  appears,  by  the  records  of  the  Pleasant  Prairie 
Church,  in  Coles  County,  to  have  visited  them 
and  preached  with  great  acceptance.  In  August 
(31),  1830,  that  Church  was  organized  by  Pev.  B. 
F.  Spilman.  Mr.  Bennet  cast  in  his  lot  with  the 
good  people  and  settled,  that  is,  after  his  style. 
What  this  was  will  be  duly  explained.  It  w^as 
on  a  missionary  excursion  from  this  place  that 
"  he  lighted  upon"  Mr.  Bliss'  "  and  tarried  there 
all  night,  because  the  sun  was  set."  Mr.  Bennet 
told  his  story,  and  the  hearts  of  the  two  good 
men  were  "  knit  together"  at  once.  Long  and  fer- 
vently had  the  lonely  pastor  prayed  for  a  fellow- 
helper  in  his  field,  and  now  the  Lord  had  sent 
this  brother,  in  his  early  manhood,  "mighty  in 
the  Scriptures,"  bold,  honest, fervent,  and  "full  of 
the  spirit  of  wisdom."  He  felt  all  this,  and  was 
cheered  as  he  looked  on  his  guest.  Mr.  Bennet 
tarried  the  next  day  and  the  next,  the  attach- 
ment becoming  more  cordial  between  them.  In- 
deed from  this  time  forth  they  were  united  as 
father  and  son  "  in  the  gospel." 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  161 

For  years,  the  two  went  abroad  in  extended 
evangelistic  labors,  visiting  the  Churches,  hold- 
ing communion-meetiDgs,  comforting  and  edify- 
ing the  saints  in  love.  The  Lord  blessed  the  ef- 
forts in  many  cases  with  signal  marks  of  his 
favor.  The  fallow  ground  had  long  been  broken 
and  the  seed  of  truth  sown  in  faith,  and  all  seem- 
ed ready  for  a  day  of  ingathering.  And  these 
men  were  well  fitted  to  co-operate  in  these  labors. 
One  had  qualities  that  exactly  supplemented  the 
other.  They  were  as  Paul  and  Barnabas  among 
the  Apostles.  Father  Bliss  was  the  "good  man," 
ready  to  comfort  believers,  always  peaceful,  stead- 
fast, affable.  Mr.  Bennet  was  "  ready  to  endure 
hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,"  his 
Boul  brimming  with  ardor,  his  mind  logical,  deep, 
and  full,  and  glowing  with  a  steady  flame  of  un- 
quenchable love  to  God  and  his  cause.  But,  un- 
like Mr.  Bliss,  he  could  not,  at  least  at  first,  be 
said  to  be  socially  agreeable.  There  was  too  much 
golemnity  and  sad  earnestness  about  him.  AVhat 
if  pleasantries  would  tend  to  disturb  his  own 
sense  of  eternal  things  and  to  dissipate  it  in  the 
minds  of  others.  He  could  not  satisfactorily 
draw  the  line  between  cheerfulness  and  levity, 
and  so  he  shunned  them  both.  Acts  vi.  4  literal- 
ly described  him.  "He  gave  himself  continually 
to    prayer,    and  to   the   ministry  of  the  word." 


162  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

Solemn,  grave,  almost  severe,  he  would  not  suffer 
himself,  for  many  years,  to  be  drawn  into  a  con- 
versation except  upon  religious  subjects.  And  so, 
as  with  all  really  earnest  men,  his  influence  was 
positive.  "Lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort"  ab- 
horred him,  the  sinner  in  his  eins  dreaded  him, 
but  the  penitent  looked  to  him  for  counsel,  and 
the  truly  godly  delighted  to  see  him  come  to  their 
doors.  The  general  feeling  toward  him  is  illus- 
trated by  the  confession  of  a  very  devout  man 
and  long  a  ruling  elder.  "  I  would  have  gone  a 
half  mile  around,  rather  than  have  met  him  in  a 
lane,  or  been  alone  with  him  in  a  room;  but  one 
morning  under  heavy  conviction  of  sin,  I  went 
out  to  the  well  where  he  washing  himself,  know- 
ing that  he  would  speak  to  me  about  my  soul. 
His  counsels  just  met  my  case.  O,  how  I  loved 
him  as  he  talked  to  me.''  "  How  awful  goodness 
is,"  some  one  says,  but  when  we  have  a  disposi- 
tion to  love  it,  nothing  is  so  lovely.  Such  did  the 
young  licentiate  prove  to  be. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  he  "  pitched  his  moving 
tent  "  with  the  congregation  of  Pleasant  Prairie. 
"  As  to  his  settling  in  this  place,"  says  a  venera- 
ble ruling  elder,  "  he  never  did  truly  settle  here. 
He  was  too  much  of  a  missionary  for  that."*   He 

*Zeno  Campbell,  Esq.  Mr.  Bennet  boarded  with  this  gentle- 
man during  the  two  years  that  he  had  charge  of  the  "  Pleasant 
Prairie  Church." 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  163 

was  unmarried,  and  in  consequence  of  the  ex- 
treme simplicity  of  his  character  and  habits, 
quite  free  from  earthly  cares.  Of  an  earnest  and 
self-sacrificing  spirit,  his  only  business  seemed 
to  be  to  "  please  the  Lord  in  all  things."  His  zeal 
knew  no  bounds.  He  built  him  a  modest  study 
of  poles  in  the  shade  of  a  grove,  within  hail  of 
the  house  where  he  boarded.  Here  he  pondered, 
praised  and  prayed.  From  this  rustic  seclusion 
he  would  issue  to  do  wonderful  service  for  his 
Lord.  Here  he  retired  to  recruit  his  worn-down 
energies.  Thus  two  years  were  spent.  Over  all 
the  territory,  now  covered  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Palestine,  he  ran  on  the  heavenly  errand. 

April  13,  1833,  at  the  spring  meeting  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia,  held  in  the  village  of 
Palestine,  Illinois,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full 
work  of  the  ministry,  as  an  Evangelist.  This 
event  was  esteemed  to  be  one  of  public  interest. 
It  made  a  great  stir  among  the  Churches,  and 
indeed  among  religious  people  generally,  as  far 
as  Mr.  Bennet  was  known.  He  was  the  greatest 
preacher,  taken  as  a  preacher,  that  had  ever  ap- 
peared in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  the  im- 
pression he  had  made  was  worthy  of  his  talents. 
In  his  quiet  diary,  Mr.  Bliss  says  of  that  long- 
gone  event. 

"  April  13  — Saturday,  cool  and  frosty;  Presby- 


164  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

tery  proceeded  to  ordain  Mr.  Bennet;  exercises 
solemn  and  interesting;    crowded  assembly." 

It  is  like  this  modest  man,  to  never  bint  the 
fact  tbat  be  was  the  Moderator  of  Presbytery, 
and  so,  of  course,  bad  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
solemnities.  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman  preached  the 
sermon,  and  Wm.  K.  Stewart  gave  the  charge. 

'  At  this  time  he  became  acquainted  with  one  of 
Mr.  Bliss'  elders,  who  lived  in  that  wing  of  the 
Church  which  was  in  Lawrence  County.  From 
bim  he  received  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  that 
region,  and  shortly  after  he  did  so,  and  was 
pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  country  and 
the  people,  and  thought  he  perceived  *'  a  wide  and 
effectual  door"  of  usefulness  set  open  before  him. 

In  a  few  months  he  entered  the  field  per- 
manently. 

In  1835  thirt}^  members  of  Wabayh  Church 
were  dismissed  and  regularly  constituted  as 
Pisgah  Presbyterian  Church,  and  he  was  engaged 
to  supply  them.  Here,  for  the  following  sixteen 
years  he  labored,  doing  prodigies  of  ministerial 
service.  July  6,  1836,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Caroline  Buckanan — a  lovely,  modest,  discreet 
girl — "  a  lamb  out  of  the  fold."  Mr.  Bliss  per- 
formed the  ceremony  and  then  went  over  with 
the  wedding  party  to  the  new  parsonage  that  Mr. 
Bcnnet  had  built,  much  of  it  with  his  own  hands, 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  1G5 

and  there  assisted   in  dedicating  it  solemnly  to 
God,  "with  the  word  and  prayer." 

In  1851  he  removed  to  Canton,  and  was  stated 
supply  of  that  Church  at  the  time  of  his  decease, 
June  16,  1856. 

As  to  anj^thing  further  concerning  the  life  and 
character  of  this  eminent  servant  of  God,  the 
reader  will  be  gratified  by  the  sketches  from  two 
gentlemen  who  were  personally  acquainted  with 
him,  that  will  be  found  on  subsequent  pages. 

Two  or  three  features  of  interest,  which  are 
not  mentioned  by  these  writers,  will  close  this 
prefatory  sketch. 

In  appearance,  Mr.  Bennet  was  tall  and  slender, 
but  muscular.  He  could  endure  a  vast  amount  of 
fatigue.  Nature  had  not  honored  him  with  the 
facile  and  winning  face  that  becomes  the  real 
orator  that  he  was.  The  aspect  of  his  features 
was  contemplative,  and  when  lit  up  with  the  in- 
spiration of  some  noble  theme,  they  wore  a  be- 
nignant glow,  but  ordinarily  they  were  somber, 
almost  harsh.  His  complexion  was  dark — un- 
usually so  for  a  European.  Indeed,  the  Eev. 
John  McDonald,  who  succeeded  him  in  the  Pleas- 
ant Prairie  Church,  says  that  he  told  that  he 
was  of  Turkish  extraction.  We  happened  to 
know  that  in  some  branch  of  ^  his  lineage  he  was 
also     French.      His   eyebrows    were   black   and 


166  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

heavy,  and  quite  met  over  his  nose.  This  gave 
him  a  peculiarly  severe  aspect  when  ''moved  with 
indignation."  When  there  were  disorders  in  the 
congregation  that  prevented  the  people  from 
hearing,  or  levity,  or  improprieties  of  any  kind, 
he  knew  how  to  frown  a  black  and  awful  rebuke 
that  withered  the  offender. 

But  what  he  will  longest  be  remembered  for  by 
some  was  his  excessive  sensitiveness  to  the  cry- 
ing of  infants.  In  those  good  old  times  it  was 
the  custom  for  mothers  to  take  their  children  to 
meeting.  All  was  well  if  they  kept  still,  but  if 
they  grew  restive  in  the  smothering  atmosphere 
of  the  dense  throng,  there  was  a  sad  state  of  af- 
fairs followed.  Whenever  the  glowing  preacher 
might  be  in  his  flight,  the  first  shrill  note  of  the 
blatant  urchin  would  utterly  disconcert  him,  and 
bring  him  down  blank  and  confused.  Nothing 
further  could  be  done  until  the  nuisance  was  abat- 
ed. Such  was  the  logical  structure  of  his  mind,  that 
his  thoughts  followed  each  other  in  a  close  con- 
nection, each  springing  out  of  those  preceding  it. 
If  the  current  were  broken,  he  was  hopelessly 
embarrassed.  Hence,  his  sensitiveness.  When 
there  was  a  fretting  child,  or  whispering,  or  in- 
decorum in  the  congregation,  it  was  his  custom 
to  pause  and  administer  some  word  of  counsel 
or  reproof. 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  167 

He  taught  the  solemnity  of  the  Divine  worship. 
To  his  soul  a  sanctuary  was  a  Bethel,  and  he 
breathed  out,  as  he  entered  it,  the  adoring  lan- 
guage of  Jacob  at  Luz,  "  How  dreadful  is  this 
place!  this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God, 
and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."  So  thoroughly 
was  he  imbued  with  this  sentiment,  that  his  very 
presence  made  a  hallowed  and  solemn  atmosphere. 
It  felt  like  a  sacred  place  wherever  Mr.  iiennet 
was  preaching,  whether  in  a  pulpit  or  on  the 
floor  of  some  log  school-house,  or  on  a  rude  plat- 
form under  the  shelter  of  the  summer  trees. 

His  method  of  sermonizing  was  peculiar  and 
instructive.  It  partook  more  of  the  nature  of 
devotional  meditation  on  the  Divine  Word.  A 
text  would  be  selected  in  the  morning  for  pious 
reflection.  During  the  day  his  mind  would  be 
occupied  as  a  refrain  in  the  midst  of  other  cares, 
with  an  analysis  of  the  passage,  and  an  dieting 
of  its  voices  of  instruction,  or  reproof,  or  com- 
fort, or  admonition,  or  promise.  As  he  went  on 
in  this  work  he  applied  it  all  for  his  own  quick- 
ening peniteoce,  or  hope.  He  studied  first  of  all 
for  himself.  Thus  his  sermons  were  eminently 
experimental.  All,  from  first  to  last,  was  a  "voice 
of  the  heart."  "  He  knew  whereof  he  affirmed." 
He  knew  the  truth,  authority,  efficacy  and  grace 
of  what   he   taught,  from   an   inward  conviction 


168 

and  experience  of  it  all.  This  method  of  ser- 
monizing made  him  an  amazingly  full  and  search- 
ing preacher.  He  was  "  mighty  in  the  Scrip- 
tures," as  has  been  said. 

Another  result  was,  that  his  store  of  sermons 
was  never  exhausted.  lie  made  them  faster  thaa 
he  preached  them.  In  1851,  at  the  time  he  re- 
moved from  the  scene  of  his  long  missionary  la- 
bors in  Southern  Illinois,  he  remarked,  that  '*after 
twenty-two  years  of  service,  he  had  more  than 
one  hundred  sermons  that  he  had  never  preach- 
ed." 

Kev.  Mr.  Lilly,  in  his  valuable  sketch,  speaks  ot 
Mr.  Bennet's  peculiarities.  A  glimpse  of  his  life 
at  Pleasant  Prairie  will  best  illustrate  these,  and 
the  sterling  qualities,  too,  that  he  possessed. 

When  he  first  began  to  preach  statedly  at 
Pleasant  Prairie,  he  "  boarded  around  "familiarly 
among  the  families.  All  lived  in  cabins  with  but 
one  comfortable  room.  Children — "the heritage 
of  the  Lord,"  but  sad  foes  to  Mr.  Bennet's  philo- 
sophical cpmposurc — abounded.  By  way  of  es- 
cape, in  the  morning  it  was  his  custom,  when  the 
weather  permitted,  to  fill  his  pocket  with  the 
crusts  from  the  breakfast  table,  and  then  with  hia 
Greek  Testament  to  retire  to  the  woods,  and 
nothing  more  would  be  seen  of  him  until  night. 
As  the  weather  got  colder  he  built  a  hut  of  poles 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  169 

in  the  grove  near  the  churchyard,  and  where 
the  Church  was  afterward  built.  His  hut  was 
divided  into  two  compartments.  Into  one  of 
these  he  moved  his  worldly  goods,  consisting  of  a 
few  soul  full  books,  a  bed,  a  stool  and  chair,  and 
his  saddle  and  bridle.  Into  the  other  he  led  his 
faithful  horse.  A  pole  was  left  out  of  the  par- 
tition at  the  bight  of  the  trough,  and  through 
this  opening  he  would  bountifully  feed  and  com- 
mune with  his  sagacious  servant. 

For  this  horse  he  had  a  sincere  attachment. 
He  was  the  only  companion  of  the  saintly  Evan- 
gelist in  his  long  missionary  journeys,  sharing 
his  "  perils  in  the  wilderness,"  in  floods,  by  hun- 
ger and  thirst,  by  cold  and  heat.  His  gait  and 
form  became  indissolubly  associated  with  his  ex- 
periences and  labors  as  a  missionary.  Poor 
"  Jack,"  his  mute  friend,  he  came  to  feel  a  sin- 
cere interest  in,  as  an  humble  fellow-helper. 

Once  when  he  was  leaving  his  field  for  a  visit 
to  his  friends  in  the  East,  he  gave  Jack  into  the 
hands  of  one  of  his  elders,  with  many  a  grave 
warning  against  abusing  him,  and  bit  of  advice 
as  to  taking  care  of  him.  "  If  he  dies  before  I 
come  back,  bury  him.  In  his  lowly  sphere  he  has 
served  the  Lord's  cause  too  long  and  faithfully 
for  us  tp  let  his  body  fall  a  prey  to  ravening  birds 
and  beasts."  Was  not  this  something  of 
Oriental's  doting  affection  for  his  courser? 


170  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

He  was  not  social  in  his  habits  in  the  begin^ 
ning  of  his  ministry.  He  shunned  the  society  of 
females.  Once,  when  one  of  his  most  cordial 
friends,  and  one  that  admired  him  beyond  meas- 
ure, had  invited  in  some  of  her  most  devout 
neighbors  to  spend  the  day  with  her,  she  sent 
over  at  dinner  time  to  invite  him  to  dine  with 
them.  Mr.  Bennet  came  with  a  very  grave  and 
dissatisfied  air.  He  had  scarcely  got  into  the 
house,  when   he  accosted  her  in  something  like 

these  words:    "Mrs. ,  I    have   submitted   to 

this  useless  disturbance  for  this  time,  but  let  it 
never  happen  again."     And  it  never  did. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the  Church — 
August  31, 1830 — he  began  to  stir  in  the  matter  of 
a  meeting-house.  All  were  poor,  but  God  had 
said,  "Build  the  house,  and  I  will  take  pleasure 
in  it,  and  I  will  be  glorified,  saith  the  Lord." 
Haggai  i.  8.  Mr.  Bennet  drew  up  the  subscrip- 
tion, and  started  it  b}^  pledging  twelve  days' 
work  and  one-third  of  the  expenses.  All  the 
timbers  were  hewed  in  the  woods — the  weather- 
boarding  was  of  spilt  white-oak  boards  shaved. 
The  flooring  they  whip-sawed.  Not  a  fragment 
about  it  was  bought  but  the  nails.  It  was  some 
time  before  it  Avas  furnished  with  a  pulpit,  because 
there  was  no  lumber  at  hand.  Mr.  Bennet  was 
architect  and  in  large  part  builder  of  the  interest- 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  171 

ing  structure.  From  the  "  square  "  it  is  ceiled  up 
the  rafters  a  little  way,  and  then  across,  and 
thus  the  form  of  the  ceiling  acted  as  a  sounding 
board,  and  every  whisper  of  the  preacher  was 
reflected  from  every  point.  This  vaulted  form 
also  gives  the  room,  which  is  indeed  but  twenty- 
four  by  thirty  feet,  quite  a  lofty  and  spacious  ap- 
pearance. This  old  building,  weather-beaten, 
dilapidated,  moss-grown,  but  holding  up  against 
storms  and  decays,  with  a  tenacity  that  shows 
how  honestly  it  was  put  together  at  first,  still 
stands.  It  is  situated  in  the  bosom  of  a  grove.  At 
the  deserted  doors  a  ravine  runs  diagonally,  and 
just  behind  it  is  the  churchyard.  The  prayers 
and  praises  of  the  hearts,  long  silenced,  seem  to 
linger  around  the  rent  and  broken  walls.  Ah, 
what  hallowed  scenes  have  been  witnessed  here ! 
How  many  have  here  been  fitted  for  a  useful  life 
and  the  paradise  of  the  saints  on  high! 

The  congregation  has  many  years  ago  left  this 
first  tabernacle,  li^e  Israel,  for  a  temple  better 
fitted  to  accommodate  the  growing  throng  or 
worshipers  that  come  to  the  solemn  feasts. 

Mr.  Bennet's  labors  were  of  a  character  to  re- 
main and  produce  fruit  more  and  more  abundant- 
ly through  the  long,  long  years.  Such  a  preach- 
er as  he  could  not  but  "  paint  for  eternity." 


L'.    w. 


fcwf.  i  i 


(1T3) 


BEV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  175 


CHAPTER  X. 

REV.    ISAAC    BENNET,    A.    M. 

Contributed  by  Eev.  Wm.  A.  Fleming. 

HE  following  sketch  of  this  eminent  soldier 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  by  Eev.  Wm'.  A.  Fleming. 
It  gives  many  facts  in  his  history  to  t^e  close 
of  his  life,  and  is  occupied  chiefly  with  the 
final  years  of  his  ministry,  as  stated  supply  of 
the  Church  at  Canton,  Illinois. 

The  late  Rev.  Isaac  Bennet,  of  Canton,  Illi- 
nois, was,  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  supposed  to 
be  about  fifty-two  or  fifty  three  years  of  age.  The 
precise  time  of  his  birth  is  not  known.  He 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  but  he  always  supposed  he  experienced 
a  change  of  heart  at  twelve.  Immediately  upon 
his  uniting  with  the  Church  he  commenced  a 
-course  of  studies  preparatory  to  entering  the  gos- 
pel ministry.  He  graduated  in  1827  at  Jeff'erson 
College,  Pennsylvania,  with  the  highest  honors 
of  his  class.  His  "  valedictory  "  was  found  after 
his  death  among  his  scanty  papers,  for  he  left 


176 

little  in  manuscript  form  behind  him.  We  could 
wish  that  he  had  left  more.  The  eadly-pleasing 
task  of  friendly  reminiscence  would  have  been 
rendered  comparatively  easy.  As  it  is,  the  data 
as  respects  his  early  life  are  very  meager.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  class  formed  in  the 
"  Western  Theological  Seminary."  He  remained 
there,  however,  but  one  year.  He  lived  in  the 
family  of  the  Eev.  E.  P.  Swift,  D.  D.,  and  studied 
theology  (with  two  or  three  others)  under  hia 
direction.  He  left  Allegheny  about  the  time 
the  Seminary  was  formally  opened,  in  conse- 
quence of  some  difiiculties  in  his  mind  about 
subscribing  to  the  form  of  matriculation  pro- 
posed by  Dr.  J.  J.  Janeway.  He  went  to  Phila- 
delphia and  studied  for  some  months.^'  He  was 
afterward  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel,  by  the 
Addison  Association,  at  Monkton,  Vermont,  June 
4,  1829.  How  long  a  time  he  spent  in  ^N'ew 
England  is  not  known,  nor  the  causes  which  led 
him  back  again  from  the  far  East  to  the  (then) 
far  West.  That  he  had  at  first  some  proclivities 
toward  certain  tenets  of  the  New  England  The- 
ology can  not  be  doubted.  The  manner  of  his 
licensure,  and  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Swift,  confirm 
this  fact.  Eut  it  was  only  for  a  short  season  that 
he  wavered.    He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery 

*  Di-   Livino-ston. 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  177 

of  Kaskaskia  as  an  BvangeliBt,  at  a  meeting  held 
in  Palestine,  April  13,  1833;  and,  during  the 
whole  course  of  his  laborious  ministry,  of  over 
twenty-seven  years  in  that  vast  prairie  State,  ho 
was  an  "Old-School  Presbyterian  "  ofthestrait- 
est  sect — the  uncompromising,  yet  judicious  foe 
of  new  measures  and  new  theology.  He,  him- 
self, traced  his  establishment  in  the  orthodox 
faith  to  the  reading  of  "  Dickinson's  Five  Points. "-'^ 
In  the  early  years  of  his  ministry  he  traveled 
extensively,  as  a  missionary,  in  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  State,  then  a  wilderness.  He  organ- 
ized numerous  C  lurches,  and  supported  himself, 
in  large  part,  while  preaching  to  them.  He  was, 
throughout  his  life,  more  or  less  of  an  itinerant. 
He  loved  the  work,  and  he  did  not  abandon  his 
"little  circuit,"  as  he  called  it,  until  compelled  to 
do  so,  a  few  months  before  his  death,  on  account 
of  the  disease  in  his  throat.  This  spirit  of  con- 
secration is  illustrated  by  an  incident  that  recurs 
to  my  mind.  He  was  returning  from  Presbytery, 
in  company  with  myself  and  one  of  his  ruling 
elders.  He  inquired  about  the  merits  of  Mc- 
Cosh's,  "  The  Divine  Government."  I  replied 
*  Dr.  Swift  informed  me  afterward  that  Mr.  Bennet  had 
some  leanings  toward  Hopkinsonianism.  But  ray  impression  is 
that  he  did  not  preach  long  before  altering  his  views,  from 
reading  Dickinson,  as  referred  to.  The  remark  respecting  the 
"  Five  Points  "  was  made  to  myself  in  a  bookstore  in  Peoria 


178  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

favorably.  He  then  added,  with  a  half-suppress- 
ed sigh,  "^ell,  it  does  not  matter  particularly. 
I  think  I  will  not  buy  it,"  adding,  "  My  study- 
days  are  nearly  over;  it  is  now  work,  work,  icork.'^ 
I  looked  at  his  frail  tabernacle  and  thought  (but 
did  not  say),  *'  It  will  not  be  work,  work,  very 
long  with  good  Bro.  Bennet."     And  so  it  proved. 

To  return  again  to  the  narrative.  His  dis- 
ease was  bronchitis;  and  he  had  been  admon- 
ished several  times  within  the  last  two  or  three 
years  that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  take  care 
of  his  throat.  But  so  ardent  was  his  desire  to 
*'  be  about  his  Father's  business,"  that  he  icould 
preach  as  long  as  his  strength  lasted,  on  week- 
day and  Sabbath,  in  town  and  country.  Only 
the  second  Sabbath  before  his  death  he  preached 
twice,  and  attended  to  a  Bible-class. 

That  very  evening  he  was  seized  w4th  a  violent 
attack  of  his  disease,  and  continued  to  sink  be- 
neath it  until  death  brought  a  blessed  release 
from  his  pains. 

He  was  delirious  during  most  of  his  last  illness. 
But  in  his  wildest  mood  but  one  theme  dwelt  upon 
his  tongue — the  religion  of  Jesus.  He  preached,  it  is 
said,  two  whole  sermons  during  those  irrational 
hours.  Blessed  employment  even  in  delirium! 
He  had,  however,  a  few  lucid  hours,  and  then  he 
sj)ent  his  breath  in  speaking  words  of  comfort  to 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  179 

his  agonized  wife  and  weeping  children,  and  in 
dictating  messages  to  his  dear  people,  especially 
to  the  impenitent  in  his  congregation. 

Ooce,  as  a  heavenly  smile  lit  up  his  counten- 
ance, he  said:  "I  see  a  bright  angel  coming  to 
convey  me  home!"  But  soon  a  cloud  passed 
over  that  bright  fiice.  Like  that  great  and  good 
man,  Dr.  Thomas  Scott,  he  was  in  darkness.  Satan 
buffeted  him,  and  arrayed  "  a  black  catalogue 
of  sins  against  him."  But  that  cloud  dispersed, 
and  once  more  he  triumphed  in  Christ.  He  could 
say,  "  I  know  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth 
me  from  all  sin.  I  have  tried  to  fight  the  good 
fight.  I  think  I  have  finished  my  course  and 
kept  the  faith;  and  I  believe  there  is  a  crown  of 
righteousness  laid  up  for  me." 

Bat,  although  he  spoke  thus  assuredly,  he 
nevertheless  esteemed  himself  as  vile  and  hell- 
deserving;  "  a  sinner  saved  by  grace." 

When  his  disconsolate  companion  suggested  to 
him  that  she  desired  to  have  his  funeral  sermon 
preached  from  Psalm  xxxvii.  37,  "  Mark  the  per- 
fect man,  and  behold  the  upright:  for  the  end  of 
that  man  is  peace,"  he  smiled,  and  said,  "  What 
preach  on  such  a  text  for  such  a  worthless  one 
as  I?"* 

*  I  preached  his  funeral  sermon  from  that  text  to  a  very 
large  congregation,  June  17,  1856.    I  took  the  view  that  "  per- 


180  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

The  deceased  was,  we  believe,  in  more  than  the 
ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term,  ''  a  good  man,'* 
"  a  holy  man  of  God."  He  lived  to  do  good. 
Like  his  divine  Master,  whom  he  so  long  and 
faithfully  served,  "  he  went  about  doing  good." 
A  pious  widow  once  remarked  concerning  him, 
that  she  never  knew  him  to  make  a  strictly  social 
visit:^  He  seemed  always  intent  upon  some 
spiritual  benefit  to  the  household  which  enter- 
tained him.  We  never  recollect  to  have  sat  at 
table  with  him  without  hearing  something  that 
we  could  recollect  with  profit. 

As  illustrative  of  this  trait  in  his  character, 
we  subjoin  the  following  incidents.  The  reader 
must  remember,  though,  how  much  Mr.  Bennet's 
solemn  manner  would  increase  the  impressiveness 
of  these  remarks,  and  that  this  can  not  be  com- 
municated. Here  is  the  rose,  but  the  perfume 
has  exhaled,  we  fear. 

Once  his  wife  was  apologizing,  as  housewives 
often  do  unnecessarily,  about  her  table.  He  said, 
solemnly,  "  When  we  hai>ve  exhausted  God's  good- 
ness here  before  us  it  will  be  time  enough  to 
complain." 

feet"  meant  "  whole,  complete,  beautifully  consistent;"  and 
in  this  sense  it  was  very  appropriate  to  the  character  and  life 
of  the  departed  "  brother  in  the  Lord." 

*  Mrs.  Page,  relict  of  the  Rev.  David  Page,  of  Canton,  Illi- 
nois. 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  181 

At  another  time  a  friend  remarked,  with  refer- 
ence to  some  perplexing  scene  he  had  just  passed 
through,  "  Tribulation  does  not  always  work 
patience."  '*  ^o,"  he  replied,  "that  is  true;  it  too 
often  works  fretfidness  in  us  all." 

Once  again,  as  I  bade  him  good-by  after  hav- 
ing preached  for  him  two  or  three  sermons,  he 
thanked  me  most  cordially.  I  replied,  "  We  serve 
each  other  and  the  Master  pays  us."  "  Yes,"  said 
he,  and  I  shall  never  forget  his  look,  as  he  still 
held  my  horse's  rein;  '*  yes,  and  if  we  are  only 
so  happy  as  to  get  one  smile  of  approbation  from 
the  Master  on  that  day  it  will  repay  us  a  thousand 
fold  for  every  trial  and  hardship  here !"  He  paused 
a  moment,  and  then  continued,  "  Our  congrega- 
tions do  not  always  do  their  duty  toward  us,  but 
perhaps  at  the  great  day  it  will  be  found  that 
no  small  part  of  the  blame  has  been  with  our- 
selves." Tais  from  him,  though  not  so  meant, 
was  a  rebake  to  me. 

One  more  incident  occurs  to  me,  illustratiug 
his  habit  of  turning  every  event  into  an  opportu- 
nity to  speak  for  Jesus.  He  had  baptized  my 
oldest  child,  a  son.  He  came  into  the  room  to 
say  farewell  to  the  mother.  As  he  took  her  hand 
he  said,  "  Mrs.  Fleming,  that  child  has  begun  an 
existence  that  will  never  end.  When  the  stars  go 
out  in  night  and  the  world  is  burned  up,  that 


182  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A,  M. 

soul  will  live  on — live  on  as  long  as  God  lives.  It 
is  a  great  responsibility!  The  Lord  give  you 
grace  to  meet  it!"  With  another  cordial  grasp 
of  the  hand  he  silently  retired,  overcome  with 
his  feelings. 

He  was  also  a  man  of  "  integrity  and  up- 
rightness," "  one  that  feared  God  and  eschewed 
evil."  He  was  remarkably  simple-hearted  and 
unsophisticated  in  his  intercourse  with  the  world, 
and  was  therefore  easily  imposed  upon  by  de- 
signing men.  As  one  of  the  ruling  elders  in  hi& 
Church  said  of  him,  "He  had  but  little  worldly 
wisdom."-:^  But,  withal,  he  was  fearless  and 
faithful  in  rebuking  wrong-doing,  wherever  he 
thought  t^at  the  honor  of  religion  and  the  dic- 
tates of  prudence  required  it. 

Once  Bro.  Bennet  crossed  the  Illinois  River  on 
his  way  to  an  appointment.  He  was  benighted, 
and  found  it  impossible  to  proceed  in  the  swampy 
state  of  the  "  bottoms."  To  add  to  the  exposure, 
it  became  suddenly  intensely  cold.  It  grew  so 
late  that  he  supposed  he  could  not  recross  the 
ferry.  He  made  up  his  mind  to  "camp  out," 
and  finding  an  old  shed,  he  put  his  horse  in  it^ 
and  tearing  his  saddle-blanket  in  two,  he  tied 
up  his  feet  and  prepared  himself  to  tramp  about 
all  night   to    keep   warm.     He,  however,  found 

*  Mr.  J.  Blackadore. 


REV    ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  183 

that  this  was  too  perilous  an  experiment  to  per- 
sist in,  and  determined,  at  ali  hazards,  to  at- 
tempt to  regain  the  river  and  recross.  He  finally 
succeeded,  though  in  constant  danger,  in  the 
darkness,  of  swamping.  With  great  diflficulty  he 
prevailed  on  the  ferrymen  to  take  him  over.  But 
it  was  dreadful  boating.  The  rope  almost  froze 
to  their  hands.  He  assisted,  however,  and  they 
got  safely  over.  The  boatmen,  who  were  very 
wicked  men,  swore  dreadfully — "  enough  to  sink 
the  boat,"  in  the  estimation  of  their  passenger. 
He  said  nothing  until  they  were  landed,  and  had 
warmed  themselves  at  the  nearest  hotel.  He 
then  paid  them  for  their  trouble,  remarking,  at 
the  same  time,  in  his  peculiarly  solemn  way,  "  My 
friends,  I  have  suffered  a  great  deal  more  this 
evening  than  you  have  (and  he  gave  a  brief  ac- 
count of  what  he  had  passed  through),  and  I  did 
not  find  it  necessary  to  swear  a  single  oath;  and, 
I  think  you  would  have  got  on  just  as  well  for 
tliu  world,  and  a  great  deal  better  for  the  world  to 
corne^  if  you,  too,  had  not  taken  God's  name  in 
vain."     The  men  were  awe-struck  and  silent. 

He  had  a  large  heart,  and  it  spoke  out  in 
deeds  of  love  and  kindness.  But  these  were  not 
paraded  to  the  view  of  all  men.  Perchance  some 
did  not  discover  the  hidden  depths  that  glowed 
beneath  an  exterior  at   once   grave  and  placid. 


184  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

There  was  never  coldness,  never  sternness;  but 
those  who  saw  him  only  occasionally  might  have 
thought  him  slightly  unapproachable.  It  was 
not  so.  A  more  instructive,  entertaining,  and 
sometimes  even  jovial  comj^anion  could  rarely 
be  found.  One  who  knew  him  well  said  to  me, 
in  substance,  that  his  conversation,  when  in  com- 
pany on  a  journey,  was  worth  volumes.  And 
yet  he  did  most  of  his  studying  on  horseback. 
"  His  was  that  knowledge  that  lieth  deep  in  the 
heart  of  a  man,"  and  happy  was  he  who  had 
"understanding"  enough  to  "draw  it  out." 
Prov.  XX.  5. 

He  was  a  critical  student  of  the  Bible.  He  was 
no  speculator  or  theorizer.  He  once  told  me  that 
in  the  study  of  '•  The  Eevelations  "  he  got  along 
very  well  until  he  came  to  about  the  middle  of  the 
eleventh  chapter,  where  history  cesiSQS  to  run  par- 
allel with  the  prophecy.  After  that  he  did  not 
choose  to  speculate  or  interpret,  but  to  vjciit.  His 
study  of  the  Scriptures  was  the  solace  of  his  life. 
In  his  work  as  an  Evangelist,  he  was  accustomed 
to  carry  a  few  books  with  him  in  his  saddle-bags, 
such  as  a  Greek  Testament,  pocket  concordance, 
and  a  dictionary,  and  study  as  he  rode  along. 

In  his  early  ministry  he  was  remarkably  suc- 
cessful. It  is  said  that  the  first  ten  or  fifteen 
years  of  his  life  were  an  almost  constant  scene  of 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 


185 


revival.     Scarcely  a  sermon  was  preached  wMcli 
was  not  followed  by  immediate  visible  fruits  in 
the  conviction  and  conversion  of  sinners.     In  his 
later  -life    he    labored   under   great   discourage- 
ments.    Although  he  continued  to  preach  with 
the  same  faithfulness  and  fervency  as  ever,  he 
was  not  allowed  to  see  much  present  fruit.     He 
sometimes   almost   sank  under  this  trial  of  his 
faith.     But   he  never  long  forgot  that   his  God 
had  said,  "  They  that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in 
joy!"     And  truly,  if  ever  any  man  "sowed  be- 
side all  waters"  it  was  he.     He  was  "in  labors 
more  abundant  than  we  all."     So  that  at  the  age 
of  fifty  the  younger  brethren  called  him  "  Father 
Bennet,"    he   seemed   so   old    in   faith  and  good 

works. 

He  was  emphatically  "in  journeyings  often." 
We  heard  him  once  say  that  he  had  traveled  on 
horseback  alone  a  distance  equal  to  that  around 
the  world.^     "  In  perils  of  waters,"  he  has  swam 
*He  did  not  make  that  remark  boastfully,  but  incidentally, 
■when  drawing  a  comparison  betweeo  horseback  and  buggy- 
riding.     Boastfulness  he  never  indulged  in.     The  nearest  ap- 
proach to  it  I  ever  heard  him  make  was  a  remark  about  punc- 
tuality in  appointments.     He  said  (it  was  designed  to  benefit 
his  young  brother)  :  ''  When  I  preached  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  State,  where  I  had  appointments  at  long  intervals,  the 
people  always  counted  on  my  coming;  sometimes  owing  to  bad 
roads,  etc.,  I  would  be  a  few  minutes  too  late.     Some  would 
suggest,  '  I  guess  the  preacher  will  not  be  here  to-day.'   «  Yes, 


186 

the  swollen  stream,  side  by  side  with  his  noble 
horse;  "in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  by  his  own 
countrymen,  in  perils  in  the  city;"  doubtless  if 
all  were  known;  "in  perils  in  the  wilderness" 
we  all  know.  He  has  encamped  alone  through 
the  live-long  night,  amid  the  bowlings  of  hungry 
wolves.  "  In  weariness  and  painfulness,  in 
watchings  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst."  He  baa 
munched  a  cold,  hard  ear  of  corn  after  a  day's 
abstinence,  while  his  horse  grazed  on  the  prai- 
rie. "In  fastings  often,"  necessitous  fastings  a& 
well  as  religious.  "In  cold  and  nakedness." 
We  need  not  add  further  to  this  inspired  descrip- 
tion, which,  it  is  not  believed,  will  apply  with 
more  literal  force  to  any  "  ambassador  of 
Christ  "  since  Paul  encountered  these    "perils." 

As  a  Presbyter  the  deceased  was  more  than 
esteemed  and  respected;  he  was  looked  up  to  a» 
an  advisor  and  counselor.  Grave,  sedate,  judi- 
cious, intelligent,  discriminating  as  he  was,  he 
seldom  spoke  (never  long)  in  Presbytery.  His 
voice  was  almost  never  heard  in  debate.  Yet 
when  he  deemed  it  his  duty  to  speak,  or  when 
called  by  the  voice  of  the  Presbytery  to  do  so, 
ho  spoke  to  the  point.  His  remarks  were  brief, 
clear,  decisive;  generally  settling  the  question. 

he  will,'  another  would  say;  'it  is  Bennet  to-day;  he  never 
fails  V  " 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  187 

One  scene — his  last  appearance  on  the  floor  of 
Presbytery — will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  Being 
unwell,  he  retired  from  the  Church.  On  re-en- 
tering the  house  he  was  observed  to  be  exceed- 
ingly pale  and  feeble.  A  discussion  arose  during- 
his  absence,  about  the  necessity  or  propriety  of 
opening  and  closing  each  meeting  of  session  with 
prayer;  some  contending  that  it  was  not  always 
necessary  to  constitute  thus  formally  when  there^ 
was  almost  nothing  to  be  done.  He  arose  to> 
say,  "  Brethren,  I  did  not  hear  all  of  this  dis- 
cussion. I  was  obliged  to  retire,  feeling  quite  in- 
disposed; and  I  found  myself  a  few  moments  ago 
lying  upon  my  hack  outside  of  the  Church.  It  will 
be  necessary  for  me  to  ask  leave  of  absence.  It 
may  be  my  final  leave.  Let  me,  therefore,  be- 
seech you,  brethren,  not  to  remove  any  of  the  an- 
cient landmarks.  If  it  be  a  meeting  simply  to 
dismiss  a  member,  or  to  appoint  one  of  your 
number  to  go  to  Presbytery,  open  and  close  that 
meeting  with  prayer.  Ask  God  to  direct  you  in- 
everything^  and  especially  send  not  a  sheep  awa^r 
from  your  fold  without  asking  God  to  guide  him 
in  his  wanderings."  This  was  about  what  he 
said.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  the 
"  Sessional  Eecords,"  containing  the  omission, 
were  unanimously  "  excepted  to." 

The    examination    of    candidates    on    experi- 


188  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

mental  religion,  and  their  motives  for  seeking  the 
ministry,  were  almost  invariably  put  upon  him,  if 
he  were  present;  and  frequently,  also,  the  ex- 
amination in  theology.  In  both  of  these  the 
central  question  was,  "  What  think  ye  of  Christ?" 

As  a  preacher,  this  good  brother  stood  pre- 
eminent in  those  qualities  which  ought  to  dis- 
tinguish an  "  ambassador  of  Christ."  His  preach- 
ing was  plain,  direct,  practical,  solid,  doctrinal^ 
instructive.  His  solemn  earnestness,  his  unfeigned 
humility,  his  deep-felt  unction,  made  his  preach- 
ing exceeding  impressive  with  any  true  hearer  of 
the  Word.  He  always  seemed  to  be  standing  on 
the  brink  of  time,  looking  out  into  eternity,  an- 
ticipating the  Judgment  scene;  and,  with  a  re- 
alization of  the  soul's  priceless  worth,  and 
Christ's  infinite  worthiness,  pleading  with,  be- 
seeching men  to  be  "reconciled  to  God." 

He  preached  Christ;  he  preached  nothing  else. 
In  this  age  of  new  things,  new  doctrines,  and 
new  revelations  (Spiritualism,  Harmonial  Philo- 
sophy, ^'  et  id  omne  genus  "),  he  never  turned  aside 
from  his  great  mission  to  preach  any  "other 
gospel."  His  soul  abhorred  all  such  perversions 
of  the  aim  and  purpose  of  a  Christian  minister. 
'^If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus,  let  him  be 
Anathema.  Maranatha."  This  he  would  tell 
men    with    all    the   boldness    and    the    earnest- 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  189 

ness  of  a  Paul.  But  it  should  be  added  that  he 
never  anathematized  either  individuals  or  so- 
cieties of  men  because  they  did  not  believe  and 
teach  as  he  did. 

"  Father  Bennet "  was  not,  in  any  sense,  a 
politician.  I  do  not  know  that  he  often,  or  even 
ever,  voted.  Although  eminently  conservative 
(in  its  best  sense)  both  in  religion  and  politics, 
no  one  who  knew  him  can  doubt  for  a  moment 
where  he  would  have  stood,  had  he  lived  through 
the  eventful  years  of  the  late  Southern  rebel- 
lion. He,  however,  with  other  honored  brethren 
and  fathers,  co-presbyters,  "was  taken  away 
from  the  evil  to  come." 

The  following  anecdote  will  recall  several 
traits  in  the  character  of  this  simple-minded, 
earnest  servant  of  Christ.  Perfect  naturalness 
was  his  delight.  "  He  did  not  like  trammels  " 
or  "extra  gear"  of  any  kind  on  himself  or  his 
horse.  He  had  a  set  of  harness  made  in  the 
simplest  mode,  expressly  to  save  time,  buckles 
and  leather.  Once  he  was  helping  me  to  put 
on  my  "fly-net."  Said  he,  "Brother  Fleming, 
it  is  said  a  '  lie  will  travel  a  mile,  while  truth  is 
putting  on  her  sandals.'  I  think  I  could  travel 
more  than  a  mile  while  you  are  putting  on  your 
"  fly-net."  One  item  I  have  not  mentioned  that  I 
think  deserves  notice.     I  mean  his  marked  cor- 


190  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

diality,  "when,  for  the  first  time,  meeting  a  young 
and  new  member  of  Presbytery.  He  did  not 
patronize,  but  fraternized  and  sympathized  at 
once  with  the  youngest  that  came  into  the  body. 
I  first  met  him  at  Macomb,  Illinois,  during  a 
meeting  of  the  old  "Synod  of  Illinois."  His 
familiar,  brotherly,  aff'ectionate  address  surprised 
and  delighted  me.  I  was  but  fresh  from  the 
Seminary,  and  did  not  expect  the  greeting  his 
warm  heart  accorded  me. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  of  the 
Hev.  John  McDonald,^  who  succeeded  Mr.  Bennet 
at  "Pleasant  Prairie,"  contains  still  further  tes- 
timony concerning  his  personal  and  ministerial 
character : 

"  My  personal  acquaintance  with  this  dear 
brother  in  the  Lord  commenced  in  1835,  and 
continued  eight  or  ten  years.  It  was  made  at 
sacramental  meetings  and  meetings  of  Presby- 
tery, at  which  interesting  occasions  we  were  fre- 
quently brought  together. 

"Bro.  Bennet  was  a  most  excellent  man,  and  a 
first-rate  practical  preacher.  His  subjects  were 
generally  '  repentance,  faith,  or  godliness,'  which 
he  explained  and  enforced  in  the  most  earnest 
and  apostolical  manner;  and  his  labors  were  sel- 
dom without  some  apparent  fruit.  He  was  most 
indefatigable  in  his  ministrations,  enduring   all 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNETj  A.  M,  191 

sorts  of  privations  and  fatigue  incident  to  rang- 
ing widely,  and  mingling  freely  with  those  en- 
during the  hardships  of  settling  a  new  country. 

"  He  was  not  fond  of  judicial  business,  but  was 
always  present  at  Presbytery  and  took  his  part. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  strong  peculiarities,  and 
yet  it  is  not  easy  to  say  in  just  what  they  con- 
sisted. Perhaps  they  may  be  summed  up  in  the 
brief  statement,  that  he  was  largely  Oriental  in 
constitution  and  character.  He  has  told  that  he 
was  of  Turkish  ancestry. 

"  "What  he  did  was  with  his  might.  Whatever 
was  before  his  mind  seemed  to  occupy  his  whole 
mental  horizon.  Hence  he  was  easily  imposed 
on,  and  was  not  an  accurate  judge  of  character, 
but  almost  always  erred  on  the  favorable  side. 

"Dear  brother,  I  have  given  you  a  very  im- 
perfect sketch  of  one  of  the  most  faithful  and 
self-denying  men  with  whom  I  was  ever  ac- 
quainted," etc. 

This  estimate  from  so  close  and  accurate  a 
judge  of  men  as  "  Father  McDonald,"  is  especial- 
ly valuable. 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  E.  P.  Swift  to 
Mr.  Fleming,  corroborates  some  important  facts 
in  his  life : 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Brother, — From  the  initials 
attached  to  a  brief  account  of  the  late  Eev.  Isaac 


192  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

Bennet,  contained  in  the  Fresbyterian,  I  am  led 
to  suppose  that  you  are  the  writer;  and  if  so,  I 
desire,  for  one,  to  thank  you  for  the  interesting^ 
statement  you  have  furnished.  I  am  anxious  to 
know  something  more  definitely  about  the  last 
pastoral  charge  and  closing  days  of  that  excellent 
man.  For  one  year  after  leaving  college,  at  leasts 
Mr.  Bennet  lived  in  my  family,  and  studied 
theology  (with  two  or  three  other  brethren) 
under  my  direction,  and  left  us  about  the  time 
the  Western  Theological  Seminary  was  formally 
opened,  in  consequence  of  some  difficulty  in  his 
mind  about  subscribing  to  the  form  of  matricula- 
tion proposed  by  Dr.  Janeway.  He  went  to  Phila- 
delphia and  studied  there  some  months  before  he 
applied  for  licensure  in  Vermont.  As  a  pupil  and 
a  member  of  my  family,  I  became  greatly  inter- 
ested in  that  truly  excellent  and  beloved  servant 
of  Christ.  I  esteemed  him  as  one  of  the  most  de- 
voted young  men  I  ever  knew,  and  feel  that  our 
Church  has  few  such  men  to  lose.  I  am  anxious 
to  know  about  his  family,  his  last  charge,  and 
whether  (as  the  sketch  in  the  Presbyterian  seems 
to  intimate)  there  is  in  prospective  preparation  a 
more  extended  account  of  his  life;  whether  he 
has  left  among  his  papers  any  material  for  such  a 
work,  etc. 

"  If  your  leisure  will  allow  you  to  give  me  a 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  193 

brief  statement,  or  put  me  in  the  way  of  obtain- 
ing it,  I  shall  feel  very  much  obliged  to  your 
kindness.  I  desire  it  purely  as  a  matter  of  pri- 
vate friendship,  and  it  is  prompted  by  the  wish 
one  feels  to  know  all  about  a  dear  friend  whom 
we  shall  see  no  more." 


|f9.  !?$?!  %mi  1 1 


(195) 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 


197 


CHAPTEB  XI. 

REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

Contributed  by  Eev.  R.  H.  Lilly,  A.  M. 

lEY.  ISAAC  BENNET  was  a  man  of  such 
powers  of  mind,  determination  of  will,  and 
singleness    of   aim,    as    would   have   made 
him  a  noted  man  in  any  field  of  labor  in 
any  part   of  the  world,  in   any  period   of  the 
Church's  history.     But  in  him  the  gold— not  the 
iron   of   the  prophet's   image— was   so   mingled 
with  the  clay— the  purest  and  noblest  elements 
of  Christian  character  with,  at  least,  the  innocent 
weaknesses    of    human    nature,   that    any   true 
sketch  of  him  will  seem  abnormal  to  those  who 
did  not  know  him,  and  prove  unsatisfactory  to 
some  of  those  who  knew  him  best.     So  high  was 
his  aim,  so  decided  his  opinions  and  course  of 
life,  and  so  wanting  was  he  in  attention  to  the 
innocent   and   pleasant  conventionalities   of  so- 
<}iety,  that  while  some  held  him  as  the  chief  of 
modern  saints,  others,  reproved  by  his  teachings 
and   his  holy  life,  seemed  to   hate  him  for  his 
sanctity;    while    not    a    few   outsiders    laughed 


198  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

heartily  at  his  odd  whims  and  ways,  as  they 
chose  to  call  them,  but  were  warm  in  their  feel- 
ings toward  him,  ready  to  supply  his  wants,  and 
quick  to  vindicate  his  integrity,  as  a  man  and 
minister,  against  all  impugners. 

Premising  these  things  as  needful  to  be  borne 
in  mind,  in  order  to  a  right  understanding  of 
what  follows,  and  coming  to  particulars,  we  re- 
mark: 

1.  That  his  character,  as  a  minister,  seemed  to 
be  as  complete  an  embodiment  of  the  apostle's 
injunction  (1  Tim.  iv.  15)  as  we  have  ever  seen, 
"Meditate  on  these  things,  give  thyself  wholly 
to  them,  that  thy  profiting  may  appear  of  all."" 
The  sense  of  the  last  clause  seeming  to  be  that 
the  benefits  of  the  gospel  ministry  might  appear 
— be  abundant  and  permanent — in  the  hearts 
and  lives  of  all  them  to  whom  it  came;  the  for- 
mer parts  indicating  the  total  absorbing  of  the 
mind  by  these  great  themes,  and  the  entire  con- 
secration of  soul  to  them,  in  order  to  secure  the 
desired  success.  During  his  ministry  of  about 
twenty  years  in  our  part  of  the  State,  Mr.  Ben- 
net,  I  presume,  never  expressed  a  desire,  nor  cher- 
ished a  wish,  to  be  anything  but  a  preacher.  Any 
thoughts  of  agency,  authorship,  farming,  lecturing 
or  teaching,  etc.,  to  which  his  brethren,  in  many 
cases,  felt  compelled  to  resort  rather  than  leava 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  199 

their  fields  of  labor,  were  repudiated  by  him  and 
abhorrent  to  him,  although  he  might  be  tolerant 
of  their  adoption  in  case  of  his  weaker  breth- 
ren. He  had  a  faith  in  God  that,  called  as  he 
was  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  would  be  enabled 
to  fulfill  his  high  commission,  to  testify  the  gos- 
pel of  the  grace  of  God.  JSTor  was  his  faith  vain, 
for  at  the  end  of  his  ministry  among  us  he  could 
say  with  a  fullness  of  meaning  I  never  heard 
from  any  other  lips,  "  For  I  determined  not  to 
know  anything  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ, 
and  him  crucified  !"  as  in  1  Cor.  ii.  2,  says  the 
great  apostle. 

2.  He  was  a  very  able  minister  of  the  New 
Testament,  as  connected  with,  and  unfolding  and 
completing  the  things  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Giving  himself  wholly  to  these  things,  meditat- 
ing on  them,  and  studying  to  show  himself  ap- 
proved to  God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to 
be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth, 
the  word  of  God,  not  in  the  letter  only,  but  also 
in  the  spirit,  dwelt  in  him  very  richly.  This 
richness  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Word  was  seen 
in  all  his  pulpit  ministrations,  and  in  all  his 
abundant  conversations  with  men  of  all  charac- 
ters and  conditions  in  life.  No  one  is  likely  to 
remember  any  point  of  doctrine  or  duty  pre- 
sented by  him  which  was  not  enforced  by  the 


200  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

pertinent  application  of  some  portion  of  holy 
writ,  directly  asserting  or  properly  implying  the 
same.  Other  brethren  were  more  terrible  in 
their  denunciations  of  the  "  wrath  of  Grod  which 
is  revealed  from  heaven  against  all  ungodliness 
and  unrighteousness  of  men  " — more  conscience- 
stirring  in  their  warm  appeals  to  the  impenitent, 
and  more  beseechingly-winning  in  inviting  the 
"weary  and  heavy-laden"  to  "come  to  Jesus 
Christ,  to  find  rest"  in  him;  but  Mr.  Bennet's 
great  excellence  was  in  shedding  the  bright  light 
of  the  pertinent  Scripture  texts  on  all  the  sub- 
jects that  he  handled.  Borne  out  by  the  direct 
statements  and  proper  inferences  of  the  Word, 
Mr.  Bennet  had  the  high  honor  of  holding  forth, 
in  many  localities  where  they  had  been  unknown 
or  greatly  misrepresented,  all  the  great  distin- 
guishing and  fundamental  doctrines  of  our  holy 
religion. 

3.  Mr.  Bennet's  labors  were  very  abundant  for 
a  long  period  of  years.  In  respect  to  all  his 
compeers  he  could  truly  say,  "  But  I  labored 
more  abundantly  than  you  all.*'  Yet  he  would 
delight  to  add,  in  an  humble,  thankful  spirit, 
what  is  further  said  by  the  apostle,  "  Yet  not  I, 
but  the  grace  of  God,  which  was  with  me,"  as  in 
2  Cor.  XV.  10.  Thus  aided  he  was  "  more  abun- 
dant  in   labors    than   they   all."      Those   labors 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  201 

were  in  preaching  the  Word,  family  visitations, 
catechising  the  children,  and  personal  conversa- 
tion with  all  sorts  of  men,  in  all  stages  of  moral 
character. 

Take  an  illustration.  After  a  hard  day's  ride 
he  reached  the  school  house,  at  which  he  was  to 
preach  at  night.  A  pious  family,  with  several 
children,  some  of  them  nearly  grown  up,  gladly 
received  him,  and  after  a  frugal  meal,  hastily 
eaten,  they  went  to  the  place  of  meeting.  Mrs. 
Smith  took  two  candles — she  had  no  snuffers,  and 
forgot  her  scissors.  One  was  set  on  the  table  by 
Mr.  Bennet,  and  the  other  was  fastened  to  the 
casing  of  a  window  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
house,  by  inserting  the  blade  of  Mr.  Jones'  pen- 
knife through  the  lower  part  of  it  and  then  into 
the  wood.  (This  one  had  to  be  taken  down  be- 
fore the  service  was  over.)  About  twenty  were 
present,  eight  of  these  being  of  one  family.  By 
the  help  of  a  Methodist  brother  the  hymn,  "  Am 
I  a  Soldier  of  the  Cross?"  etc.,  was  sung  after  a 
fashion.  Then  followed  the  reading  of  a  few 
verses  of  Scripture  and  a  long  prayer,  in  which 
two  of  the  audience  could  say  amen  in  their 
hearts  to  its  petitions.  Then  followed  the  ser- 
mon, a  full  hour  and  a  quarter  long  as  to  its 
solid  body.  But  the  good  brother  was  full  of 
matter,  and  one  or  two  listened  attentively. 


202  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

instead  of  quitting  when  he  seamed  to  come  to 
the  right  place,  he  said:  "One  more  thought." 
Then  after  ten  minutes  spent  in  looking  at  it, 
"  another  thought "  came  up  for  consideration 
by  the  impatient  audience.  Then  "  an  infer- 
ence "  was  required  to  complete  the  subject;  and 
then,  with  a  pretty  long  "  finally,"  the  discourse 
was  ended.  But  not  Bro.  Ben  net's  labors  for  the 
day.  At  family  prayers  he  talked  some,  and 
learned  from  their  answers  to  him  that  John, 
seventeen  years  of  age,  and  Mary,  of  fifteen, 
were  both  seriously  concerned  for  their  souls* 
salvation.  So  after  prayers  he  took  John  by  the 
hand  and  said,  afi"ectionately,  "  I  wish  to  talk 
with  you  after  the  people  are  abed;"  and  to 
Mary,  "  I  should  like  a  word  with  you,  too, 
about  loving  Jesus,  my  Master."  Their  conver- 
sation did  not  end  until  after  one  o'clock. 

Sometimes  long  circuits  were  made  in  going  to 
and  returning  from  Presbytery,  with  ten  or 
twelve  appointments  spread  over  a  couple  of 
weeks.  On  other  occasions  he  visited  the  places 
at  which  he  had  preached  before.  Thep,  again, 
he  made  circuits  into  new  missionary  fields,  seek- 
ing out  the  lost  sheep  in  the  wilderness,  but 
always  ready  to  preach,  or  talk,  or  pray,  reprove, 
warn,  teach,  counsel,  advise,  or  eoajfurt,  as  the 
case  might  be — always  about  his  great  Master* 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  20S 

work.  Knowing  what  others  did,  and  that  Mr. 
Bennet  did  far  more  than  they,  I  do  not  think 
his  sermons — and  they  were  generally  good  long 
ones  at  that — could  have  been  less  than  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  a  year  for  twenty  years ;  and 
that  his  travels  in  the  Master's  service,  mostly  on 
horseback,  were  not  less  than  three  thousand 
miles  a  year. 

4.  Mr.  Bennet  was  one  of  the  most  unselfish  of 
men.  This  is  seen  by  considerations  such  as  fol- 
low: He  was  never  known  to  insist  on  his  right 
as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  to  "  live  of  the  gos- 
pel," for  even  so  hath  the  Lord  ordained  that 
they  who  preach  the  gospel  should  live  of  the 
gospel.  Like  Paul,  he  felt  a  necessity  laid  on 
him  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  that  a  woe  would 
rest  on  him  if  he  did  not.  So,  for  long  years  of 
time,  and  over  a  large  field  of  labor,  "  he  made 
the  gospel  of  Christ  without  charge  "  to  thenx 
that  had  a  part  in  his  labors, 

He  many  times  refused  the  voluntary  offerings- 
made  to  him,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  more 
able  to  do  without  them  than  other  persons  were' 
to  give  them.  At  other  times,  to  meet  necessi- 
ties that  seemed  imperative,  he  accepted  of  small 
contributions.  Even  from  Churches  to  which  he 
preached  regularly,  he  received  but  a  small  com- 
pensation. 


204  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

While  doing  the  full  work  of  a  Missionary 
Evangelist,  we  believe  he  always  refused  the  aid 
of  the  Board  of  Missions.  One  or  two  of  his 
earliest  years  may  have  been  exceptions  to  this. 

The  manner  in  which  he  used  his  patrimony. 
Of  the  amount  of  this  I  know  nothing.  He  lived 
mainly  on  it  for  many  years.  Other  parts  he 
loaned  out  to  poor  men  struggling  to  secure 
homes  for  their  families;  in  this  way  risking  his 
principal,  while  he  received  little  or  no  interest 
on  his  means.  This  living  on  his  own  resources, 
and  loaning  out  part  to  help  the  deserving  poor, 
was  at  a  time,  too,  in  Illinois,  when  millions  of 
acres  of  land  that  have  since  sold  for  twenty, 
fifty,  one  hundred,  or  even  two  hundred  dollars 
per  acre,  near  the  cities  and  villages  could  be 
had  for  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre, 
I  never  heard  of  his  entering  but  forty  acres, 
which  was  to  make  him  a  homestead  among  the 
people  to  whom  he  ministered.  Other  brethren 
may  have  given  away  as  much  as  Mr.  Bennet — 
some  of  them  certainly  spent  much  more  of  their 
private  means  in  sustaining  their  families  whilst 
they  preached  the  gospel,  availing  themselves  of 
such  means  of  helping  themselves  as  the  provi- 
dence of  God  then  placed  within  their  reach;  but 
none  of  them  ever  saved  so  little  of  what  they 
had  as  did  Mr.  Bennet  in  his  unselfishness.     The 


REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M.  205 

rightfulness  of  their  course  and  the  wisdom  of 
his  are  not  here  matters  of  consideration.  That 
Mr.  Bennet  lived  a  life  of  great  voluntary  hu- 
miliation and  poverty  for  the  gospel's  sake,  is 
not  to  be  denied  or  doubted  by  those  who  knew 
him  best. 

5.  Mr.  Bennet  was  "  instant  in  season  and  out 
of  season "  to  do  his  Master's  work.  A  hard 
day's  ride  would  bring  us  at  night  to  the  place 
where  Presbytery  was  to  meet.  iNo  brother  was 
able  or  willing  to  preach.  We  could,  in  our 
helpless,  wearied  exhaustion,  always  fall  back  on 
Bro.  Bennet,  and  he  would  esteem  it  a  pleasure, 
in  bodily  weakness  and  faintness,  to  preach 
Christ  to  the  little  company  and  the  tired  breth- 
ren. Others  of  us  could  speak  on  religious  mat- 
ters to  dying  men  when  all  was  favorable.  But 
Bro.  Bennet  was  always  ready.  The  stranger 
casually  met  on  the  way,  the  inmates  of  the  house 
into  which  the  storm  drove  us,  the  family  on  which 
we  might  call  for  dinner,  rest,  and  horse-feed, 
all  alike  were  at  once  engaged  in  religious  con- 
versation, and  their  consciences  appealed  to  in 
approval  of  the  condemnation  that  God's  word 
utters  against  the  guilty. 

6.  Mr.  Bennet's  habits  of  study  deserve  con- 
sideration. His  custom  was  to  take  a  daily  text  or 
portion  of  Scripture  for  especial  meditation.  This 


206  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

he  continued  to  turn  over  in  his  mind  until  he 
arrived  at  what  seemed  to  be  its  leading  idea  or 
meaning  intended  by  the  good  Spirit.  Then  his 
custom  was  to  stop,  take  out  his  writing  material, 
and  commit  the  leading  thoughts  to  paper.  For 
years  after  he  could  tell  what  was  in  those 
papers  without  looking  at  them.  Sometimes  he 
stood  at  the  carpenter's  bench,  sometimes  he 
was  busy  on  his  farm,  or  was  riding  from  house 
to  house  in  family  visitations,  or  was  traveling 
on  his  long  missionary  tours — it  was  all  the 
same,  nothing  hindered,  the  intellectual  labor 
went  on  until  an  outline  was  made  of  the 
thoughts  contained  in  the  select  passage  of 
Scripture.  So  his  sermons,  lectures,  exhortations, 
practical  thoughts,  etc.,  were  reduced  to  outline 
form.  The  writing  out,  when  it  was  done  in  full, 
was  after  the  public  delivery  of  his  thoughts, 
and,  if  practicable,  before  the  glow  of  excitement 
occasioned  by  delivery  passed  away.  Physical 
employment  was  thus  no  hindrance  to  his 
studies.  Indeed  he  considered  it  a  help  after 
protracted  preaching,  duties  and  labors.  I  have 
no  one  in  my  acquaintance  who  had  equal 
command  over  his  thoughts,  or  who,  without  in- 
terfering with  his  mental  operations,  could  so 
successfully  carry  on  manual  labor  employments. 
7.  As   a   preacher,  Mr.   Bennet's  manner  was 


207 

that  of  solemn  deliberation,  inclined  to  monot- 
ony in  utterance  and  a  diffuseness  of  style,  run- 
ning, at  times,  into  a  tiresome  prolixity.  The 
matter  was  always  more  interesting  to  his  atten- 
tive hearers  than  the  manner,  but  in  this  his  dis- 
courses were  very  unequal  in  quality.  He  was 
in  the  habit,  in  his  common  home  ministrations, 
of  going  fully  into  a  subject,  and  occupying  sev- 
eral sermons  in  doing  so.  At  sacramental  meet- 
ings, when  assisting  a  brother,  or  at  Presbytery, 
on  the  Sabbath  day,  he  had  a  very  happy  faculty 
of  leaving  out  the  less  important  parts  of  his  sub- 
jects, and  condensing  the  remainder  into  a  ser- 
mon not  over  the  ordinary  length  for  him.  These 
were  his  truly  great  sermons — grand  in  outline, 
noble  in  theme,  rich  in  matter,  and  in  their  de- 
livery he  sometimes  became  animated  and  im- 
pressive, and  asserted  his  right  to  a  place  among 
the  most  doctrinal  preachers  of  his  day. 

But  he  was  altogether  too  logical  to  be  popu- 
lar with  the  masses.  Common  people  will  take 
pleasure  in  listening  to  an  orderly  unfolding  and 
methodical  statement  of  the  matter  to  be  con- 
sidered in  a  sermon,  but  their  attention  begins  to 
flag  and  their  minds  to  tire  in  looking  at  the 
plans,  and  they  soon  weary  if  one  goes  on  to  add 
thought  to  thought,  idea  to  idea,  and  inference 
to  inference,  with  certain  assurance  that  they  are 


208  REV.  ISAAC  BENNET,  A.  M. 

all  connected  logically  with  the  subject,  and  flow 
rightly  out  of  it,  Something  in  the  shape  of 
warm  and  pungent  application  to  the  conscience 
suits  them  better,  whether  or  no  it  be  very 
logically  related  to  the  matter  under  considera- 
tion. 


(209) 


GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS.  211 


CHAPTER  XII. 

GRIEFS    AND    COMFORTS. 
A.  D.  1837—1839. 

HE  period  dating  from  the  coming  of  Mr. 
Bennet,  until  1839,  may  be  reckoned  as  the 
"vintage"  of  Mr.  Bliss'  ministerial  life.  He 
associated  his  faithful  brother  with  him  in 
extended  missionary  labors,  in  which  much  good 
was  accomplished.  The  Churches  scattered  over 
the  field  were  blessed  with  times  of  refreshins:: 
new  Churches  were  organized,  and  new  laborers 
introduced.  Wabash  Church  received  eighty  ac- 
cessions to  her  membership,  almost  all  of  them 
by  examination,  within  this  period. 

Bat  amidst  the  "joys  of  harvest,"  a  long  an- 
ticipated stroke  fell  upon  the  little  circle  at  the 
parsonage.  In  the  fall  of  1836,  Mrs.  Bliss  began 
to  sink  under  the  ravages  of  consumption.  Two 
years  before  he  had  despaired  of  her  life,  but  she 
recovered  sufiiciently  "  to  look  well  to  her  house- 
hold." But  now  the  symptoms  returned  with  a 
violence  that  could  not  be  misunderstood.     The 


212  GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS. 

slow  incurable  decay  was  evidently  fixed  in  her 
system.  It  is  a  gratifying  feature  of  consump- 
tion that  it  does  not  cloud  the  mind.  "While  it  is 
consuming  the  strength,  it  imparts  to  the  disposi- 
tion a  preternatural  tenderness.  All  the  rigor- 
ous winter  of  1836  and  1837,  the  pale  and  saintly 
wife  and  mother  was  fading  day  by  day.  Each 
one  of  the  family  —  parents  and  children  — 
knew  that  beyond  a  doubt  they  would  be  separa- 
ted at  the  coming  of  the  spring.  So  the  hour  of 
parting  drew  near.  Like  Elijah  and  Elisha,  the 
"  two  pilgrims,"  she  went  on  to  the  scene  of  her 
glorious  translation.  At  length,  on  the  twenty- 
first  of  May,  at  three  and  one- half  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  this  devoted  wife,  mother,  friend,  rested 
sweetly  and  forever.  Never,  perhaps,  in  this 
world  has  God  granted  to  a  child  of  his  a  more 
peaceful  departure. 

On  Monday  occurred  the  funeral.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Bennet  came  down  from  Pisgah  and  preach- 
ed a  soul-full  sermon  to  the  great  congregation 
gathered  by  the  sad  occasion.  Prov.  xiv.  32: 
"  The  righteous  hath  hope  in  his  death,"  was  his 
theme.  To  him  the  providence  was  instinct 
with  a  mournful  and  sacred  pathos,  and  the  great 
preacher  rose  above  himself. 

Mrs.  Bliss  was  of  strict  Puritan  training,  and 
her  views  and  feelings  were  profound,  steadfast, 


GRIEFS  AND   COMFORTS.  213 

and  undemonstrative.  There  were  no  evanescent 
ecstasies,  no  overflowing  tides  of  emotion  in  her 
experience.  This  would  have  been  incongruous 
with  her  nature.  The  great  feature  of  her  spirit- 
ual character  was  a  blessed  and  constant  peace. 
She  had  early  in  her  life  committed  herself  to 
the  Lord  and  found  him  gracious,  and  there  she 
ended  her  quest.  The  twenty-third  Psalm — a  fa- 
vorite passage  of  God's  word — expressed  her  con- 
fidence in  his  grace  and  providence.  Almost  every 
Sabbath  evening  her  children  remembered  to 
have  heard  her  singing  in  her  own  mild,  devout 
way  Dr.  Watts'  version  of  the  ninety-second 
Psalm. 

"  Sweet  is  the  work  my  God,  my  king, 
To  praise  thy  name,  give  thanks  and  sing, 

To  show  thy  love  by  morning  light. 
And  talk  of  all  thy  truth  at  night." 

The  serious  spirit  of  the  song,  its  undertone 
of  fervent  pathos  and  hope,  the  contrast  drawn 
in  it  between  the  character  and  destiny  of  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked,  all  seemed  suited  to 
the  temper  of  her  piety. 

Her  experiences  of  religion  were  all  pervaded 
by  a  childlike  confidence  in  Christ,  in  the  effica- 
cy of  his  atonement  and  intercession,  in  the  faith- 
fulness of  his  promises,  in  his  wisdom,  power  and 
eve,  and  so  her  days  were  filled  with  a  sweet  com- 


214  GRIEFS  AND    COMFORTS. 

posure.  She  drew  near  to  her  end  with  unclouded 
serenity  and  comfort.  She  quietly  made  every 
preparation  for  it.  After  she  was  gone,  they 
found  her  shroud,  face-cloth,  and  every  part  of 
this  mournful  attire  wrapped  together  and  laid 
carefully  away  in  a  private  drawer.  ''  Death,  the 
last  enemy,  was  destroyed." 

Mr.  Lippincott,  who  was  entertained  at  Mr. 
Bliss'  during  the  Presbytery  in  October,  1830^ 
thus  speaks  about  his  devout  wife: 

"  I  should  not  do  justice  to  my  own  feelings,  if 
I  were  to  make  no  allusion  to  Mrs.  Bliss  whom 
I  only  saw  on  that  occasion.  The  impression  she 
made  on  me,  and  I  believe  on  all  the  brethren, 
was  such  as  to  furnish  many  a  pleasant  thought 
in  after  years.  The  daughter  of  a  distinguished 
man,  whose  character  she  justly  revered,  while 
she  deplored  his  speculative  errors,  she  seemed  to 
us  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  better  type  of 
New  England  women.  Bright,  cheerful,  amiable 
in  her  manners,  she  bore  the  impress  of  an  in- 
telligent cultivated  mind,  imbued  with  the  Chris- 
tian spirit.  Many  a  wish  was  expressed  that  she 
was  where  we  could  enjoy  more  of  her  society  in 
the  pioneer  work  " 

Her  departure  was  beautifully  fitting  in  its 
time.  It  was  just  in  that  happy  season  of  the 
year  when  the  world  is  exchanging  the   clouds 


GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS.  215 

and  snows  of  winter  for  the  hope  and  virgin 
loveliness  of  spring,  and  in  that  hour  in  the 
day  when  the  silence  and  gloom  of  night  are 
giving  way  before  the  twittering  jocund  chorus 
and  the  kindling  dawn  of  a  morning  in  May- 
The  tattered  "  diary"  says: 

May  21 — Sabbath. — A  mil'd  and  pleasant  day 
but  solemn  indeed ;  a  day  in  which  my  affectionate 
partner  was  taken  from  me.  She  left  this  world 
at  three  and  one-half  o'clock  this  morning,  to 
spend  a  glorious  Sabbath  in  the  presence  of  he^ 
God." 

In  another  sense  still  did  God  honor  her  in 
the  time  of  her  death. 

Her  grave  was  the  first  one  opened  in  the 
churchyard  of  Wabash.  It  had  been  customary 
for  each  family  to  bury  their  dead,  in  a  private 
burial  ground  on  their  own  farm,  but  a  public  one 
had  been  talked  of  although  it  was  not  yet  loca- 
ted. The  members  of  Mr.  Bliss'  charge  had  also 
determined  to  build  a  meeting-house,  but  its  site 
was  not  altogether  agreed  upon  either.  The  death 
of  so  important  a  person  as  Mrs.  Bliss  called  for 
an  immediate  decision,  at  least  respecting  the 
site  of  the  churchyard.  Her  interment  fixed  al 
and  made  a  holy  ground.  How  touching  and 
saintly  a  "  consecration  !  " 

Thus  at  fifty  years  of  age  Mr.  Bliss  was  left  to 


216  GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS. 

pursue  the  remainder  of  his  pilgrimage  alone. 
May,  and  now  "  Betsy,"  who  had  joined  their 
lives  with  him  long  ago,  were  fallen  at  his  side. 
But  this  last  death  made  him  feel  utterly  his 
present  loneliness.  "  My  days  are  solitary  "  is 
the  sigh  inscribed  in  his  private  diary. 

It  is  characteristic  of  him,  that  after  the  long- 
drawn  tragedy  was  ended,  he  turned  immediate- 
ly to  the  duties  of  his  ministry.  He  expected  to 
find  a  solace  not  in  morbid,  brooding  melancholy, 
but  in  the  service  of  God. 

"  Light  is  sown  for  the  righteous^  The  very 
next  Sabbath  he  joined  his  brethren,  Spilman 
and  Bennet,  in  a  communion  meeting  in  Edwaids 
County. 

The  old  "  diary  "  says : 

Sabbath  pleasant;  a  deeply  interesting  sacra- 
mental season.  Three  were  added  to  the  Church 
by  profession  of  their  faith,  and  two  infants  were 
baptized.  Much  evidence  of  the  presence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

So  God  "sent "  his  smitten  servant  "  help  out 
of  the  sanctuary,  and  strengthened  him  out  of 
Zion."  We  are  now  to  witness  the  sudden  blos- 
soming of  the  field  that  he  had  laid  out  his  life 
for — the  spiritual  successes  with  which  God  com- 
forted him. 

The  place  referred  to  just  above,  where  he  met 


GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS.  217 

Messrs.  Spilman  and  Bennet,  was  the  Shiloh 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  Edwards  County,  seven- 
teen miles  to  the  southwest  of  his  residence. 
Here  had  settled,  a  few  years  before,  a  colony  of 
New  Englanders.  Starting  out  from  Massachu- 
setts, they  had  first  purchased  themselves  a  vast 
tract  of  land  among  the  healthy  mountain  val- 
leys of  Western  Virginia.  Some  of  the  early 
battles  of  the  "  Great  Eebellion  "  were  fought  on 
land  that  they  once  owned.  After  they  had  paid 
for  and  to  a  good  degree  improved  their  pur- 
chase, their  title  was  contested  by  some  interested 
parties,  and  proved  to  be  invalid,  and  their  smi- 
ling homes  were  snatched  away  from  them.  Made 
penniless  by  this  fraud,  these  good  people  set  out 
again,  but  this  time  toward  the  far  West,  and 
eventually  settled  in  one  of  the  fairest  prairies  of 
Edwards  County. 

This  community,  thus  clustering  together,  was 
one  of  unusual  piety  and  intelligence,  of  the  exact 
morals  and  simple  faith  of  their  "  pilgrim  fa- 
thers," and  of  their  honest  and  noble  type  of 
Christian  character.  In  January,  1833,  they  en- 
gaged Mr.  Bliss  to  preach  for  them,  and  in  1835 
a  Church  was  organized  among  them  —  the 
"  Shiloh  Presbyterian  Church."  By  1838  they 
were  able  to  employ  and  settle  a  pastor — the 
Eev.  Joseph  Butler,  A.  M.,  of  ]S'ew  York. 


218  GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS. 

The  Church  afterward  became  Congregational 
but  it  has  been  especially  useful. 

Another  point  at  which  there  seemed  then  the 
promise  of  blessed  success  was  Mt.  Carmel.  This 
was  the  county  town  and  a  place  of  rising  im- 
portance. 

When  our  earnest  missionaries  came  in  Octo- 
ber, 1835,  they  found  a  number  of  families  of 
Presbyterian  preferences,  and  some  members.  But 
under  the  new  impetus  given  to  business  by  the 
public  workers  then  in  progress,  the  town  rapid- 
ly filled  up.  In  this  state  of  things  the  numbers 
and  influence  of  the  Presbyterians  so  increased, 
that  in  1838  they  erected  a  substantial  brick 
building,  the  finest  Church  in  town,  and  indeed 
at  that  time  in  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskdskia.  In 
May,  1839,  a  Church  was  organized,  with  eleven 
members.  Late  in  the  year  they  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Eev.  Eobert  H.  Lilly,  of  the  Synod  of 
Kentucky,  who  was  regularly  installed  June  13, 
1840.     The  membership  speedily  rose  to  forty. 

Thus  by  a  sudden  efflorescence  was  his  once 
waste  and  lonely  field  become  bright  with  the 
promise  of  good.  Every  missionary  point  around 
that  he  had  occupied  was  grown  into  a  Church, 
with  a  settled  minister.  His  faithful  brother,  the 
Eev.  Isaac  Bennet,  at  Pisgah,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Lilly 
at    Mt.    Carmel,    and    the   Rev.  Mr.   Butler    at 


GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS.  219 

Shiloh.      "  God    had    not  forgotten  to   be   gra- 
cious." 

But  this  was  not  all.  In  the  early  spring  of 
1837  the  people  of  his  own  charge  began  to 
agitate  the  matter  of  building  a  Church.  For 
thirteen  years  now,  since  Mr.  Bliss  began  his 
ministerial  labors,  there  had  been  no  settled 
place  of  preaching  in  the  bounds  of  the  con- 
gregation. Sometimes  the  meetings  were  held 
in  some  school-house,  sometimes  at  the  residence 
of  one  of  the  ruling  elders,  a  few  times  in  Mr. 
Bliss'  barn,  and  often  in  the  open  air  in  the 
shade  of  some  grove  when  the  weather  was  fine. 
But  Pisgah  had  built  a  log  meeting-house,  and 
Mt.  Carmel  was  "rising  up  "  to  build,  and  "  Wa- 
bash," the  "mother  of  them  all,"  could  not  but 
be  provoked  to  "  good  works."  And  then  Adam 
Corrie,  Esq.,  of  Senwich,  Scotland,  being  ap- 
prised by  his  brother,  Robert  Corrie,  of  the  spirit 
stirring  in  the  congregation,  made  them  an  offer 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  if  they 
would  arise  and  build.  So  at  last  it  was  deter- 
mined to  erect  a  sanctuary.  Then  came  the  usual 
difficulties  in  locating  the  site.  Different  views 
and  interests  conflicted.  But  the  asperity  of 
feeling  could  not  rise  high,  because  of  one  pa- 
thetic fact — the  hallowed  grave  of  Mrs.  Bliss. 
All  felt  that  that  had  decided  the  location  of  the 


220  GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS. 

churchyard,  and  the  sacred  associations  of  the 
place  where  they  expected  to  lay  the  ashes  of  their 
dead  made  it  the  fitting  spot  on  which  to  build 
the  house  of  God.  By  and  by  a  neat  and  plain 
frame  building  went  up  among  the  trees  of  the 
young  woods,  in  the  fall  of  1838.  Mr.  Bennet,  a 
famous  church  builder,  wrought  on  the  new 
sanctuary.  He  was  permitted  to  build  the  old- 
fashioned  pulpit  after  his  own  ideal.  The  rostrum 
on  which  the  preacher's  feet  stood  was  somewhat 
higher  than  the  heads  of  his  congregation.  This 
was  panted  a  lead  color,  and  the  railing  on  each 
end  and  in  front  white.  The  room  was  wainscot- 
ed with  poplar,  with  a  vaulted  ceiling,  and  is 
very  agreeable  both  to  the  preacher  and  hearer 
as  an  auditory. 

Without  one  taint  of  ornament,  cornice,  or 
frieze,  it  still  stands  a  place  of  quiet  and  sacred- 
ness,  sheltered  by  its  trees,  with  the  prairie  once 
a  wilderness,  but  now  filled  with  farms  and  cot- 
tages stretching  out  in  pastoral  beauty  to  the 
soubh  and  west,  and  the  churchyard  silent  and 
holy,  sleeping  near  by. 

It  i,s  not  often  that  one  life  is  thus  honored. 
Fifteen  years  of  ministerial  service  only  passed, 
when  Mr.  Bliss  was  permitted  to  see  four  Church- 
es gathered,  and  three  ministers,  beside  himself, 
laboring  efficiently  in  what  was  once  his  own 
charge.     What  was  the  secret  of  his  success? 


GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS.  221 

It  may  seal  the  lesson  of  this  life  to  linger  over 
the  interesting  question.  We  will  therefore  put 
down  here  the  features  of  his  ministry  as  they 
exist  in  the  recollections  of  his  congregation  and 
of  the  few  of  his  parishioners  and  discriminating 
hearers  who  still  survive.  Speaking,  therefore, 
from  this  authority,  we  would  say  that  his  suc- 
cess did  not  arise  from  any  superior  brilliancy  of 
mind.  He  was  almost  totally  devoid  of  imagi- 
nation. He  was  sober,  plain,  and  practical  in 
all  his  views  and  feelings.  His  mind  was  in- 
capable of  flight.  He  never  astonished  his  hear- 
ers with  bursts  of  impassioned  oratory,  or  ingeni- 
ous speculations. 

Nor  from  any  persuasive  eloquence.  He  was 
slow  and  sedate  in  the  delivery  of  his  sermons. 
He  spoke  always  with  deliberation,  with  the  air 
of  one  who  was  weighing  his  words  before  he  ut- 
tered them.  He  is  remembered  as  more  interest- 
ing and  animated  in  conversation  than  in  the 
pulpit.  As  to  the  matter  of  his  discourses,  he 
seemed  more  intent  on  speaking  to  his  hearers 
"all  the  words  of  this  life,"  than  he  was  of  en- 
tertaining them.  There  was  actually  nothing  to 
amuse  when  he  preached,  but  he  "  fed  the  people 
with  knowledge  and  with  understanding." 

Nor  from  his  loivering  the  standard  of  godliness^ 
and  hiding    the  "  offense   of  the  cross  "   in  his 


222  GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS. 

work.  His  influence  in  his  office  was  very  sacred. 
There  was  a  clear  appeal  made  to  his  audience 
in  the  most  dispassionate  manner  to  "  yield  them- 
selves unto  God,"  bat  they  were  also  solemnly 
reminded  to  weigh  the  matter  well,  and  count 
the  cost.  This  feature  was  eminent  in  his  min- 
istry. Indeed,  the  "means  of  grace"  in  the 
hands  of  this  pastor  and  his  session  was  a  very 
deliberate  and  dignified  business.  "  Their  mod- 
eration was  known  of  all  men."  I^othing  dis- 
turbed their  equanimity.  If  all  were  spiritual 
death,  or  if  God  were  "raining  righteousness 
upon  the  people,"  the  even  tenor  of  church  affairs 
went  on.  Sometimes  when  a  large  number  of 
"candidates  have  been  propounded  for  member- 
ship in  the  Church  "  (to  borrow  the  stately  lan- 
guage of  the  session  book),  the  session  would  not 
"  be  satisfied  "  until  after  several  adjourned  meet- 
ings and  protracted  examinations.  This  prac- 
tice severely  sifted  the  "converts,"  and  rarely 
ever  were  a  number  of  "  candidates  "  finally  in- 
troduced, until  the  session  vrere  thus  satisfied  of 
the  purity  of  their  motives  and  the  sincerity  of 
their  determination  to  serve  the  Lord.  It  was 
indeed  a  rather  formidable  thing  to  "  come  be- 
fore "  this  grave  and  dignified  session. 

The  features  of  Mr.  Bliss'  ministerial  charac- 
ter, that  secured  his  success,  were : 


GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS.  223 

1.  Eminent  personal  piety.  No  one  ever  doubt- 
ed this  who  knew  him.  But  his  religious  charac- 
ter was  remarkable  for  its  calm,  cheerful,  and 
constant  tone.  As  a  minister,  as  a  friend,  at 
home,  in  the  streets,  in  the  fields,  in  the  pulpit — 
everywhere— he  was  always  the  same.  Apparently 
free  from  the  usual  alternations  of  joy  and  gloom 
in  his  religious  experience,  he  was  remarkably 
peaceful  and  uniform.  All  traditions  unite  in 
saying  that  his  life  was  wonderful  for  its  consist- 
ent piety.  His  godly  course  was  like  the  rivers 
of  the  IS'orth  that  retain  the  freshness  of  their 
wholesome  waters — their  clear,  living  purity — 
throughout  their  flow  to  the  ocean.  Wherever 
any  one  approached  him,  they  found  the  quiet 
vigorous  current  of  his  love  to  God  and  man 
running  just  the  same.  He  manifestly  day  by 
day  "  walked  with  God."  This  characteristic  of 
his  piety  made  his  influence  very  steadfast,  and 
always  right,  and  so  powerful  for  good. 

2.  His  promptness  and  faithfulness  as  a  minis- 
ter were  a  prominent  feature  in  his  life.  Enough 
has  been  said  to  give  some  impression  of  him  as 
a  preacher,  but  his  industry  in  his  office  is  worthy 
of  a  particular  mention.  He  was  actually,  when 
not  prostrated  with  sickness,  never  idle.  He  per- 
formed a  great  deal  of  ministerial  work,  but  his 
habits  were  very  methodical.     Everything  was 


224  GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS. 

done  in  its  time  and  consequently  was  done  quiet- 
ly and  without  confusion.  What  he  accomplish- 
ed, he  accomplished  without  much  wear  or  tear 
of  body  or  mind.  It  was  thoroughly  and  faith- 
fully done,  but  with  such  forethought,  system, 
and  deliberation  as  made  all  seem  easy.  As  the 
time  came  for  him  to  start  on  a  missionary  trip, 
it  found  all  things  ready  out  doors  and  in,  and 
when  the  time  came  for  his  return,  his  horse 
would  be  at  the  gate  at  the  appointed  hour.  All 
was  order,  plan,  prudence  about  him.  With  some 
persons  this  quiet  routine  would  soon  have  sunk 
into  stagnation,  but  with  him  the  motive  was  too 
pure,  the  purpose  too  earnest,  the  piety  and  love 
for  souls  too  fervent. 

His  life  was  one  of  faithfulness  and  peace.  It  is 
easy  to  perceive  the  moral  power  of  such  a  stead- 
fast, reliable  character.  His  people  reposed  a 
perfect  confidence  in  him.  The  world  looked  on 
and  admired. 

3.  His  excellent  social  qualities.  Eeference  has 
been  made  to  his  genial  spirit  and  conversational 
powers.  His  intelligence,  good  sense,  and  vivacity 
of  mind,  coupled  with  his  gentlemanly  manners 
and  choice  language,  would  really  have  adorned 
almost  any  sphere.  But  such  was  his  unfeigned 
humility,  goodness,  and  interest  in  men,  that  he 
lavished  all  at  the  cabin  firesides  of  his  seques- 


GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS.  225 

tered  flock.  His  pastoral  charge  was  his  world. 
It  was  not  too  much  in  his  estimation — it  was  not 
enough — all  that  he  could  do  for  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  his  people.  His  quiet,  unobtrusive, 
social  influence  was  very  useful  to  his  charge. 
He  did  not  visit  any  family  often  in  the  year, 
but  when  he  did  at  all,  it  was  an  afternoon  or 
evening  never  to  be  forgotten.  Such  new 
thoughts,  such  outlooks  from  their  little,  hackney- 
ed selves,  such  better,  broader  views  of  life  and 
duty,  such  kindly  feelings  toward  all  men,  were 
awakened  by  the  quiet,  suggestive  interview,  as 
made  it  a  delight. 

2.  Another  secret  of  his  usefulness  was  his 
pre-eminence  as  a  good  citizen.  Manly,  upright, 
unassuming,  courteous,  with  a  heart  alive  to  the 
public  good,  the  influence  of  his  life  was  wholly 
on  the  side  of  good  order,  intelligence,  temper- 
ance, industry,  enterprise,  and  progress.  He  was 
a  model  "  American  citizeny^ 

5.  Immigration,  too,  conduced  a  very  considera- 
ble part  to  the  success  mentioned.  As  the  country 
improved,  some  Presbyterian  families  came  in 
with  the  new  population. 

*In  his  duties  as  a  citizen,  however,  his  modesty  appears 
again.  Like  many  clergymen  of  his  generation,  he  seldom  or 
never  voted  at  the  elections.  Whether  right  or  wrong  to  hig 
conscience  it  was  the  only  safe  way  to  keep  aloof  from  earthly 
passions  and  entanglements. 


226  GRIEFS  AND  COMFORTS. 

These  "  points  "  on  which  we  have  dwelt  in 
Mr.  Bliss'  ministeral  character,  the  world  will 
scarcely  consent  to  call  "  shining  points,"  without 
they  are  associated  with  more  brilliant  qualities. 
Even  the  Church  is  in  daoger  of  coming  to  feel 
that  consistent  piety,  faithfulness,  a  genial  sym- 
pathy and  love  of  souls,  and  sober  wisdom  in 
every  relation  of  life,  are  scarcely  enough  in  the 
character  of  the  minister.  The  shining  light 
of  genius,  irradiating  and  glorifying  all,  is  essen- 
tial ! 

Is  it  not  well  for  us  to  stop  in  this  quiet  shady 
nook,  this  old  parsonage,  and  recall  some  home- 
ly truth  ? 

1.  Serve  God  with  the  gifts  you  have.  Mr. 
Bliss  was  calm  and  philosophical,  altogether 
wanting  in  a  contagious  enthusiasm  the  heroic 
spirit  that  can  undertake  what  others  can  scarce- 
ly dream  of,  the  power  to  enlist  and  enthrall  oth- 
ers, and  even  laggart  souls  in  schemes  for  good, 
and  carry  all  on  to  success.  How  quiet  is  this 
parson's  life,  how  slow  moving,  how  undemon- 
strative. But  he  was  the  Lord's.  VYhat  he  had, 
he  brought,  and  God  was  well  pleased  with  the 
offering. 

2.  Wisdom  and  grace  only^  are  essential  to  suc- 
cess in  the  ministry.  In  the  pulpit,  the  splendors 
of  genius,  at  best,  can  only  shine  on  the  basis  of 


GRIEFS  AND  COMrORTS.  227 

these  sober  and  fundamental  qualities  of  minis- 
terial character,  and  they  are  worse — a  thousand 
times  worse — than  worthless  without  them. 

3.  All  who  should  seek  the  ministry  are  not 
"gifted,"  but  all  such  can  cultivate  those  quiet 
graces  of  heart  and  life,  that  God  will  approve 
and  bless  in  his  servant. 

4.  The  Churches  should  beware  how  they  over- 
look "  ungifted  "  worth  in  the  ministry.  Multi- 
tudes of  true  ministers  whose  lives  God  has  made 
a  blessing,  he  has  been  pleased  to  endow  with 
graces,  but  not  with  shining  "gifts."  If  genius 
has  been  sanctified  and  gone  forth  through  the 
world  like  "  an  angel  of  light,"  arousing  nations, 
filling  all  hearts  with  new  thoughts,  fears,  and 
hopes,  as  in  Paul,  and  Luther,  and  A^hitfield — 
let  God  be  glorified.  But  why  despise  the  "  hid- 
ings of  his  power?"  He  has  not  made  many 
grand  rivers  for  the  continent,  but  ten  thousand 
times  ten  thousand  chiming  rills  and  babbling 
brooks  feed  the  face  of  the  earth  with  greenness. 

Alas,  for  modest  worth. 

'*  We  trample  grass  and  prize  tlie  flowers  of  May, 
But  grass  will  live  when  flowers  have  passed  away." 


Iwf 


IfVVVV 


(29,9^ 


NEW  FACES.  231 


CHAPTEE   XIII. 

NEW  FACES. 
A.  D.  1836. 

Sketches  of  Rev.  John  SiUiman  and  Rev.  Joseph 
Butler. 

,0  far  as  is  known  by  the  writer  Sharon 
Presbyterian  Church  is  the  oldest  Protest- 
ant Church  in  Illinois.  It  was  organized  by 
the  Kev.  James  McGready,  in  1816,  as  before 
detailed.  It  was  made  up  of  emigrants  from 
Georgia,  North  and  South  Carolina,  Tennessee, 
Yirginia,  Kentucky,  etc.  It  embraced  some  of 
the  finest  families  in  Southeastern  Illinois  at  the 
time  of  which  we  now  speak,  and  was  a  noble 
field  for  expansive  missionary  work.  Father 
Bliss  had  visited  them.  Eev.  B.  F.  Spilman, 
their  pastor  in  1823,  still  delighted  to  go  up  and 
break  the  bread  of  life  to  them.  But  in  1836  an 
experienced  minister  and  enterprising  man  came 
to  settle  among  them.  This  was  the  Eev.  John 
SiUiman. 


232  NEW  FACES. 

Concerning  the  long-finished  course  of  this 
servant  of  God,  the  following  letter  from  his 
daughter — Mrs.  A.  A.  M.  Leffler,  the  wife  of  the 
Rev.  Blackburn  Leffler,  Eichview,  Illinois — will 
afford  the  reader  a  melancholy  pleasure: 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir, — It  is  but  little  informa- 
tion I  can  give  you  personally,  as  I  was  quite  a 
child  at  the  time  of  my  father's  death.  But  I 
have  some  facts  communicated  by  friends  at  the 
South  which  are  interesting,  and  I  now  commu- 
nicate them  to  you. 

*'  Rev.  John  Silliman  was  born  in  Rowan  Coun- 
ty, North  Carolina,  August  13,  1786. 

"His  parents  were  John  and  Isabella  Silliman, 
Scotch  Covenanters.  They  were  persons  of  most 
exemplary  piety  and  considerable  learning;  so 
so  much  so  that  they  fitted  their  five  sons  for 
college  without  sending  them  to  school.  My 
father  was  their  fourth  son,  and  was  consider- 
ably over  twenty  years  old  when  his  attention 
was  directed  to  the  gospel  ministry.  But  these 
years  were  not  lost.  His  father  had  one  of  the 
finest  libraries  in  the  land;  and  living  in  easy 
circumstances,  his  sons  had  opportunities  for  im- 
proving their  minds  that  few  others  had.  I  re- 
member to  have  heard  my  father  say  that  the 
knowledge  he  gained  in  the  years  he  spent  at 
home,  among  those  leather-bouod  books,  after  he 


NEW  FACES.  233 

attained  his  majority,  was  of  incalculable  benefit 
to  him  in  his  ministerial  life.  When  he  gradu. 
ated  we  can  none  of  us  remember.  His  diploma 
with  many  valuable  papers  of  his  own,  was 
burned,  with  the  home  of  his  childhood,  about 
the  year  1818  or  1819. 

"  He  studied  theology  with  Dr.  John  H.  Kice,  of 
Yirginia^  and  was  licensed  and  ordained  by  East 
Hanover  Presbytery,  at  Prince  Edward,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  one  year  a  co-pastor  with  the 
Eav.  Matthew  Lyle. 

"  In  1818  he  was  married  (Dr.  A.  Alexander  of- 
ficiating) to  Julia  E.,  daughter  of  Major  Samuel 
Spencer,  of  Charlotte  County,  Virginia.  His 
choice  of  a  wife  proved  most  happy,  as  her  ar- 
dent piety,  cultivated  mind,  and  most  pleasing 
manners,  rendered  her  a  most  acceptable,  be- 
loved pastor's  wife — '  a  help  meet  for  him.' 

"At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  had  in  his 
possession  a  '  call '  to  the  Church  in  Morgantown, 
^orth  Carolina,  and  in  January,  1819,  was  in- 
stalled pastor,  and  continued  their  pastor  until 
the  fall  of  1836,  the  time  of  his  removal  to  Illi- 
nois. During  his  pastorate  of  seventeen  years, 
he  received  into  the  Church  over  six  hundred 
porsons  OQ  examination,  besides  those  received 
in  the  O'ltpists  or  .aissionary  stations  among  the 
mountains.  -^ 


234  NEW  FACES. 

''  During  the  two  years  that  my  father  lived  in 
Illinois  he  received  many  urgent  solicitations  to 
return  and  take  charge  of  the  Church  in  Morgan- 
town  again,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  had 
accepted  a  unanimous  call  to  return  and  take  the 
pastoral  work  in  his  old  charge.  He  was  beloved 
by  that  dear  people  as  few  pastors  are  privileged 
to  be.  When  my  mother  visited  the  place,  with 
her  children,  nine  months  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  she  was  much  moved  to  find  a  great 
part  of  the  Church  in  deep  mourning  for  their 
beloved  pastor. 

"  Love  to  God  and  love  to  men  pervaded  his 
whole  nature.  But  I  will  forbear  to  speak  of  his 
characteristics. 

"  lie  sweetly  fell  asleep  November  3,  1838,  aged 
fifty-two  years  and  three  months. 
"  Eespectfully  }  ours, 

"  A.  A.  M.  Leffler. 

"  Richview,  Illinois,  April  7,  1870." 

He  and  his  amiable  partner,  and  several  of 
their  children,  now  rest  in  the  old  churchyard 
at  Sharon.  His  headstone  bears  the  following 
inscription : 

"  In  memory  of 

Rev.  John  Silliman,  Presbyterian  Clergyman, 

Departed  this  life  November  3, 1838. 

Aged  52  years.'' 


NEW  FACES.  235 

"  Let  his  grave  be  where  the  western  sunbeams  rest, 

When  they  promise  a  glorious  morrow  ; 
An  emblem  of  hope  that  the  righteous  are  bless'd, 

When  they  rise  free  of  all  cause  of  sorrow." 

Before  closing  this  sketch  it  may  be  well  to 
add  a  few  traditions  that  survive  in  the  field  of 
his  brief  labors  in  Illinois.  The  aged  people  of 
Sharon  Church  remember  him  as  very  social  and 
hospitable;  as  a  preacher,  doctrinal  and  rather 
lengthy  in  his  sermons;  as  a  citizen,  full  of.  en- 
terprise and  schemes  for  the  improvement  and 
progress  of  the  country.  He  bought  a  farm,  of 
eighty  acres  when  he  came,  and  soon  had  up  a 
new  house.  In  1837  he  taught  a  select  school. 
He  furnished  the  capital  for  setting  up  a  "  card- 
ing machine."  "  He  was  full  of  basiness,"  is  the 
expressive  recollection  of  him.  Alas  I  that  such 
a  man  should  be  cut  down  in  his  prime!  is  the 
first  "  sigh  in  the  heart,"  as  we  recall  his  sudden 
departure. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  that  Mr.  Silliman 
died  another  laborer  entered  the  field — the  Eev. 
Joseph  Butler.  Of  this  arduous  servant  of  Christ 
it  is  not  becoming  to  speak  too  warmly,  for,  hap- 
pily, he  still  survives  in  a  vigorous  old  age,  at 
Pauselin,  Minnesota.  But  any  sketch  of  the 
progress  of  religion  in  the  field  of  Mr.  Bliss'  mis- 
sionary labors  that  would  leave  out  any  mention 


236  NEW  FACES. 

of  Mr.  Butler  would  be  defective  andnntrue.  In 
his  case  there  is  no  lack  of  material  to  interest 
the  reader.  Of  Mr.  Bliss  nothing  is  remem- 
bered but  his  wisdom  and  his  Christian  courtesy; 
of  Mr.  Butler  no  end  of  vehement  apothegms  and 
anecdotes  of  his  peculiar  manners  and  spirit — 
some  of  them  pungent  '^nough  for  any  palate. 

Eev.  Joseph  Butler,  A.  M.,  was  born  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Champlain  in  1799.  He  was  hope- 
fully converted  at  eight  years  of  age.  He  was 
educated  at  Middlebury  College;  was  licensed  to 
preach  the  gospel  by  a  Congregational  Associa- 
tion at  Montpelier  in  1825,  and  was  ordained  to 
the  full  work  of  the  ministry  by  Champlain 
Presbytery  in  1827.  In  1836  he  came  West,  and, 
after  spending  some  time  in  the  Synod  of  Indi- 
ana, in  1838  he  crossed  the  border  and  came  to 
Mr.  Bliss'. 

Mr.  Bliss  received  his  ISTew  England  brother 
with  heartfelt  gratitude  to  God.  No  time  was 
lost  in  introducing  him  to  the  Church  in  Ed- 
wards County,  which  welcomed  him  joyfully.  He 
was  immediately  employed  as  a  Stated  Supply, 
and  here  he  lived  and  labored,  with  but  little  in- 
terval, for  twenty -three  years. 

The  new  missionary  proved  to  be  a  Puritan 
of  the  most  unmanageable  type,  but  a  most  in- 
defatigable worker.     Possessed  of  a  strong  and 


NEW  FACES.  237 

stalwart  frame  and  zealous  spirit,  he  itinerated 
with  the  most  restless  energy  and  devotion. 
"  His  driving  was  like  the  driving  of  Jehu,  the 
son  of  Nimshi,"  etc.  (2  Kings  ix.  20.)  And  sun 
or  storm,  drought  or  flood,  it  made  not  the  slight- 
est difference  with  him,  apparently;  he  was  al- 
most always  on  the  road.  His  fervent  mind 
seemed  busy  always  with  some  scheme  for  pro- 
moting religion.  He  seemed  scarcely  to  know 
what  it  was  for  the  bow  to  be  even  relaxed. 

But  with  his  consuming  zeal  he  lacked  tender- 
ness. He  had  no  such  apprehension  of  Jesus  as 
made  his  own  soul  rejoice,  and,  consequently,  he 
could  not  make  his  hearers.  He  knew  how  to 
preach  the  Scripture  doctrines  of  depravity  and 
guilt.  He  could  sometimes  make  his  audience 
tremble  under  a  discovery  that  he  could  give 
them  of  their  ruin;  and  he  could  explain  to  them 
the  nature  and  necessity  of  the  work  of  God  the 
Son,  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  merciful  salva- 
tion of  sinners;  but  there  was  one  element  want- 
ing in  his  preaching  —  he  could  not  persuade. 
He  dwelt  on  the  innermost  gospel  truths  with  a 
masterly  clearness  and  comprehension,  and  most 
impressive  solemnity,  and  he  almost  always  drove 
his  auditory  to  some  sort  of  attention  to  them, 
but  could  not  draw  them  by  the  sweet  allure- 
ments of  love.     His  bold  and  searching  sermons. 


238  NEW  FACES. 

actually  extermiiiating  all  false  hopes  in  every 
candid  hearer,  needed  to  be  followed  by  gentler 
accents  in  order  to  their  happier  effects.  Hence 
he  was  more  successful  as  an  evangelist  than  as 
a  pastor. 

The  first  revival  that  could  be  called  general 
in  "Wabash  congregation  was  under  his  zealous 
labors  in  1851.  It  followed  a  thoroughly  awful 
sermon  on  the  characteristic  text,  Eev.  vi.  15-17. 
That  evening  everything  seemed  to  harmonize 
with  the  preacher's  mood.  The  dark,  wainscot- 
ed walls  looked  gloomy  enough.  The  candles 
burned  dull  and  dim  around,  almost  extinguished 
in  their  own  snuff.  Mr.  Butler's  whole  manner 
was  more  than  ever  solemn.  In  his  deep  and  heavy 
voice  he  announced  a  'prayer -meeting — a  great 
multitude  would  be  there — the  prayers  would 
be  terribly  in  earnest,  and  would  be  for  destruc- 
tion. These  were  the  simple  heads.  He  de- 
picted the  scene  until  every  eye  beheld  it,  and 
then  he  suddenly  closed  with  a  most  arousing 
application.  God  was  pleased  to  greatly  assist 
his  servant,  and  to  direct  the  piercing  arrows. 
"  The  slain  of  the  Lord  were  many."  Multitudes 
date  their  blessed  hopes  to  that  communion  sea- 
son. 

His  zeal  has  been  referred  to,  but  the  words 
convey  but  a  meager  impression  of  the  reality. 


NEW  FACES.  239 

The  reader  will  learn  more  from  an  incident  or 
two. 

During  the  meeting  referred  to,  he  and  the 
Eev.  P.  W.  Thompson,  then  Stated  Supply  of  tho 
Church,  and  some  of  the  ruling  elders,  went  from 
house  to  house,  "warning  every  man,  and  teach- 
ing every  man."  There  was  one  cabin  in  the 
woods  where  they  were  never  able  to  find  the 
family  at  home.  Mr.  Butler  shrewdly  suspected 
that  they  avoided  him  by  adroitly  slipping  out 
at  the  back  door  while  he  was  knocking  at  the 
front.  His  zeal  was  not  to  be  thus  thwarted. 
One  rainy  day  that  they  were  in  that  part  of  the 
congregation  he  made  bold  to  so  arrange  the 
party  that  at  the  same  time  some  should  be 
rapping  at  both  doors.  That  day  the  family 
were  at  home.  Mr.  Butler,  perfectly  pure  in  his 
intentions  and  seeking  only  their  good,  sat  down 
at  once  and  expounded  unto  them  the  way  of  the 
Lord  with  most  searching  solemnity  and  fervor- 
He  believed  in  impulses  and  sudden  sugges- 
tions being  often  of  divine  origin,  and  as  often  as 
possible  endeavored  to  follow  them.  He  has  been 
known  in  passing  along  the  road,  even  in  strange 
parts  of  the  country,  to  stop  his  horse  on  seeing 
some  one  working  in  the  field,  alight,  mount 
over  the  fence,  and  walk  across,  and  solemnly  ac- 
cost him   with   some   searching   question    as    to 


240  NEW  FACES. 

whether  he  had  made  his  peace  with  God,  and 
sometimes  with  happy  results. 

This  conscientious  regard  for  mental  sugges- 
tions often  led  him  to  courses  otherwise  very  sin- 
gular. Anything  that  crossed  his  mind  in  the 
shape  of  a  duty,  if  it  had  a  smack  of  self-denial 
or  danger  in  it,  was  almost  sure  to  be  obeyed.  If 
he  was  "  missionating,"  this  peculiarity  in  his 
views  was  morally  certain  to  take  him  into  any 
stream  that  crossed  his  road  if  it  were  swollen^ 
or  to  hurry  him  out  into  any  storm  that  might 
arise. 

Two  "New  Englanders,"  r-siding  in  Albion? 
six  miles  from  Mr.  Butler's  residence,  and  who 
knew  him  well,  were  sitting  before  their  fire  one 
stormy  day.  A  wintry  tempest  of  rain  and  sleet, 
borne  on  a  bitter  northwest  wind,  was  beating  on 
the  streets,  and  freezing  as  it  fell.  "  It  is  such  a 
dreadful  day,"  one  said  to  the  other;  "I  wonder 
if  Butler  will  not  come  into  town;"  and,  at  the 
word,  happening  to  lift  up  their  eyes,  to  their 
infinite  merriment  they  espied  Mr.  Butler  alight- 
ing at  the  gate.  They  received  him  at  the  door 
with  bursts  of  incontrollable  laughter.  "We  were 
looking  for  you,  Mr.  Butler;  it  is  such  a  storm!" 
But  Mr.  Butler  was  not  discomposed,  nor  his 
gravity  ruffled  in  the  least;  he  was  acting  con- 
scientiously. 


NEW  FACES.  241 

But  he  was  most  laborious  and  self-denying  in 
his  labors  for  Christ,  and  his  eccentricities  were 
forgiven  by  the  most  of  religious  people  for  the 
sake  of  his  evident  zeal  and  pious  fervor.  But 
they  marred  his  usefulness. 

In  his  labors  he  was  particular  to  minister  to 
the  poor.  Whoever  had  to  be  neglected  they 
were  not.  He  has  often  turned  out  of  his  way  , 
and  rode  weary  miles  to  visit  and  converse  with 
some  forlorn  and  destitute  family,  from  the  ex- 
pectation that  others  would  overlook  and  neglect 
them.  All  over  the  field  of  his  career  there  are 
those  in  every  communion  who  trace  their  sav- 
ing impressions  of  eternal  things  to  his  efforts 
both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit;  and  we  might  add 
with  perfect  truth,  both  "  in  season  and  out  of 
season." 


$m^^  «l  11 


(243> 


GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE.  245 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE. 
A.  D.  1837—1847. 

EOM  the  time  of  Mrs.  Bliss'  death,  his  usual 
missionary  work  went  on.  His  hands  were 
filled  with  the  accustomed  Sabbath  services, 
the  monthly  concert,  the  prayer-meetings, 
the  Bible  cause,  and  kindred  interests.  He 
wrought  on  the  farm  too  as  health  and  strength 
and  his  parochial  duties  permitted.  He  received 
his  friends  with  the  same  afPable  and  genial  hos- 
pitality that  had  always  characterized  him.  He 
seemed  to  be  the  quiet,  courteous,  and  wise-heart- 
ed sage  that  he  was  before,  seldom  alluding  to  the 
loss  he  had  sustained,  except  in  the  privacy  of 
the  most  hallowed  friendship,  and  then  never  to 
repine,  but  to  justify  the  ways  of  God. 

And  yet,  although  apparently  the  same,  cheer- 
ful with  the  peace  of  perfect  confidence  in  God, 
as 

"  Too  wise  to  err,  too  good  to  be  unkind," 


246  GLEANINGS  OP  THE  VINTAGE. 

Btill,  all  who  knew  him  best,  felt  that  there  was  a 
change,  fie  was  chastened,  and  still  more  sub- 
dued. Afflictions  always  either  harden  and  sour 
the  character,  and  chill  the  finer  feelings  of  our 
nature,  or  develop  them.  To  Mr.  Bliss  they 
were  as  the  "  fining  pot  to  silver."  He  was  al- 
ways a  man  of  deliberation,  of  cool  and  sober 
judgment,  of  true  refinement,  but  to  this  was 
added  now  an  evident  but  indefinable  tender- 
ness. It  was  not  revealed  by  any  change  in  his 
manner;  it  was  felt  in  the  tone  of  his  spirit,  and 
it  endeared  him  still  more  to  his  people,  especial- 
ly to  those  suffering  under  the  strokes  of  God's 
discipline.  Every  one  who  knew  him,  had  ad- 
mired, revered,  and  loved  him.  God  had  kept 
his  faithful  servant,  to  a  remarkable  degree,  from 
*'  the  strife  of  tongues."  But  still  there  was 
much  about  him,  as  a  thoroughly  educated  gen- 
tleman, much  of  the  refinement  of  mind,  the 
purity  and  elevation  of  language,  the  dignity  of 
manners — the  result  of  a  life  of  cultivation — that 
not  allof  his  neighbors,  nor  even  his  congregation, 
could  appreciate.  But  they  could  all  now  feel 
that  he  was  in  affliction,  and  this  constituted  still 
another  bond  of  attachment.  The  more  thought- 
ful from  all  the  country  side  delighted  to  call  at 
his  house,  to  sit  at  his  broad,  quiet,  beaming  fire- 
side and  hear  him  talk.     It  was  so  unworldly  a 


GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE.  247 

scene,  so  hallowed,  so  cheerful,  that  it  wore  an  in- 
describable charm  for  them.  And  then  his  wise 
conversation,  the  fruit  of  so  much  experience 
and  reflection,  was  felt  to  be  steeped  in  the  very 
spirit  of  kindness  and  truth. 

Mr.  Lilly  refers  to  this  aspect  of  Mr.  Bliss'  life 
in  his  personal  recollections  of  him. 

But  his  preaching,  also,  became  deeper,  gentler, 
more  submissive.  "He  never  could  be  a  great 
preacher,"  he  used  to  say  pleasantly,  "his  life 
had  been  too  uniform  and  quiet."  While  this 
might  have  been  true  as  regards  that  stormy 
eloquence  that  compels  the  world's  attention,  yet 
the  verdict  of  his  generation  was,  that  he  was 
eminently  wise,  prudent,  and  experimental  in  the 
pulpit.  There  was  always  a  cloudless  simplicity 
in  his  expositions  of  divine  truth,  and  his  lan- 
guage was  so  choice  that  his  most  critical  hearers 
recognized  it  as  even  elegant,  but  for  the  last  few 
years  of  his  labors,  there  was  added,  to  what  had 
before  been  excellent,  an  unwonted  tone  of  ten- 
derness. It  did  not  betray  itself  as  was  said  be- 
fore in  tears,  or  any  passion  in  delivery,  for  he 
was  as  calm  and  collected  as  before,  but  every 
soul  in  sorrow  among  his  congregations  felt  it. 
He  had  always  been  "  gentle  among  his  people, 
even  as  a  nurse  cherisheth  h«r  children,"  but 
now  there  was  a  refrain  in  his  sermons  that  the 


248  GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE. 

ear  of  the  mourner  discerned.  Thus  Grod  made 
him  to  be  a  "  beloved  Barnabas,"  a  "  son  of  con- 
solation." The  current  of  his  tastes  and  studies 
seemed  to  set  toward  the  comforts  that  God  fur- 
nishes in  his  Word  forhis  suffering  saints.  He 
saw  that  these  shed  a  steady  ray  on  the  night 
that  invests  the  momentous  realities  of  life  and 
death.  In  these  he  rejoiced.  He  grew  perfectly 
familiar  with  the  solution  that  the  gospel  brings, 
of  the  mysteries  of  time  and  eternity.  The  house 
of  mourning  was  congruous  with  his  feelings, 
and  wore  no  gloom.  The  spectacle  of  a  corpse — 
a  pale  wreck  of  humanity,  stranded  forever — 
might  revive  his  tenderness,  but  it  recalled  too 
the  precious  balm  he  had  found  in  sorrow,  in  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  "  was  able  to  com- 
fort them  that  were  in  any  trouble,  by  the  com- 
fort wherewith  he  himself  was  comforted  of 
God." 

But  in  1839  his  health  become  so  infirm  that  it 
was  thought  best  for  him  to  intermit  his  pastoral 
labors.  The  symptoms  of  consumption  began  to 
manifest  themselves  again.  He  had  enjoyed  a 
reprieve  of  more  than  twenty  years  from  this  de- 
cay that  haunted  his  system,  and  the  Lord  had 
given  hina  fourteen  years  useful  labors  in  the 
ministry,  so  that  it  was  without  repining  that  he 
saw  the  shadows  of  evening  at  last  beginning  to 


GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE.  249 

fall.  Mr.  Butler  was  called  in  to  supply  the 
Church  one  Sabbath  in  the  month,  for  the  year, 
as  a  colleague;  the  session  stipulating,  however, 
that  Mr.  Bliss  was  to  moderate  their  meetings 
and  superintend  the  affairs  of  the  Church. 

From  this  time  forth  his  regular  ministerial 
work  was  broken  up  by  his  increasing  imfirmi- 
ties.  He  was  able  to  preach  at  intervals,  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  period,  but  God  was  "  weaken- 
ing his  strength  in  the  way." 

His  infirmities  were  aggravated  by  a  trip  that 
he  took  to  Cincinnati  in  May,  1845.  He  was  the 
clerical  delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  from 
the  Palestine  Presbytery.^  The  interest,  the  ex- 
citement, the  change  of  diet  and  habits  and  the 
slight,  unavoidable  exposures  at  this  bright,  but 
critical  period  of  the  year  for  a  consumptive, 
proved  too  much  for  his  strength.     He  reached 

*This  session  of  the  General  Assembly  is  memorable  for  the 
resolutions  concerning  slavery,  by  which  the  solemn  testimony 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  announced  in  1818,was  understood 
to  be  modified  before  the  pro-slavery  spirit  that  was  then 
blowing  over  this  nation.  It  is  characteristic  of  Mr.  Bliss,  of 
his  firmness,  his  independence,  his  scrupulous  conscientiousness, 
that  he  was  one  of  the  thirteen  who  voted  against  them.  About 
this  great  evil  his  convictions  were  mature,  his  opposition  firm, 
and  his  fears  amounted  to  an  expectation  that  God  would  ter- 
ribly reward  us  for  it  as  a  nation. 

The  vote  stood,  yeas  168,  nays  13,  excused  4. 


250  GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE. 

his  home  in  June  by  way  of  Evansville,  quite 
prostrated.  During  the  remainder  of  the  year 
he  preached  but  little.  Indeed,  for  much  of  the 
time  he  was  confined  to  the  house,  and  often  for 
weeks  together,  for  more  or  less  of  each  day,  to 
his  bed. 

But  if  the  abundant  "vintage"  of  his  life  wa& 
passed,  yet,  as  it  is  with  all  the  righteous,  "  glean- 
ing grapes  were  left  in  it,  as  in  the  shaking  of  an 
olive  tree,  two  or  three  berries  remain  in  the  top 
of  the  uppermost  bough,  and  four  or  five  in  the 
outmost  iruit^ul  branches  thereof." 

When  laid  aside  from  the  ministry  his  value 
as  a  counselor  became  better  understood.  When 
his  tall  and  venerated  form  ceased  to  be  often 
seen  abroad,  his  wisdom  and  benevolence  began 
to  be  appreciated  more  than  ever.  God  gave  his 
faithful  servant  a  blessed  influence  in  his  decline. 
"Although  the  outward  man  was  perishing,  the 
inward  man  was  renewed  day  by  day;"  and  his 
conversation  was  suitably  rich,  spiritual,  and  ani- 
mated. A  venerable  elder  sayn  of  the  time,  in 
July  and  August  when  he  was  entirely  secluded 
on  account  of  inflammatory  sore  eyes,  and  a  hectic 
fever,  that  it  was  a  "  real  feast  to  sit  in  his  dark- 
ened room  and  hear  him  converse."  His  close 
observation,  his  large  experience,  his  learning, 
his  meekness,  his  piety,  and  unfailing  cheerful- 


GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE.  251 

ness,  all  combined  to  make  his  society  inestima- 
ble. Bat  every  one  in  perplexity — inquirers  after 
the  way  of  life,  doubting  professors,  his  brethren 
of  session,  the  elders  of  the  churches  around,  his 
fellow-presbyters,  physicians,  lawyers — all  de- 
lighted to  take  counsel  at  his  lips.  In  his  advice 
he  was  very  faithful.  It  is  scarcely  probable 
that  he  gave  satisfaction  in  every  case,  yet  his 
opinions  on  the  doubtful  point  generally  settled 
the  question.  His  method  of  giving  advice  was 
wise  and  eminently  gentlemanly.  His  anxiety 
was  to  suggest  the  general  principles  on  which 
the  decision  should  he  based.  This  he  could,  for 
the  most  part,  do  in  such  a  quiet,  clear,  unbiased 
manner  as  made  the  interview  delightful. 

An  excellent  man  relates  that  he  fell  into 
trouble  with  a  neighbor  concerning  a  private 
matter  of  some  consequence  to  both  of  the  fami- 
lies. There  was  what  seemed  to  be  an  irreconci- 
lable difference  of  judgment.  In  spite  of  every 
effort,  ill-feelings  were  beginning  to  show  them- 
selves. Nothing  was  said  of  it  abroad,  but  how 
could  it  be  adjusted  ?  After  pondering  it  long 
and  seriously,  and  finding  the  case  involved  in 
greater  preplexity,  he  at  last  betook  himself  to 
*'  Father  Bliss."  He  did  not  at  once  introduce  the 
question,  and  the  brethren  fell  into  a  conversation. 
Mr.  Bliss  was  as  plain,  wise,  practical  man,  and 


252  GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE. 

cheerful  as  ever,  and  someliow,  to  the  anxious  ear 
of  his  friend,  the  conversation  unconsciously  took 
a  turn  that  exactly  suited  his  wants.  He  listened 
with  the  intensest  satisfaction.  At  sunset,  he 
took  leave  of  his  venerable  friend  without  having 
so  much  as  broached  the  difl&culty  that  brought 
him.  The  interview  had  suggested  to  him  the 
path  of  duty,  and  given  him  all  that  he  wanted. 
Another  method  by  which  he  prolonged  his 
active  usefulness,  was  by  privattly  instructing 
his  children  and  a  few  jouths  who  came  to  study 
with  them.  The  brief  record  in  the  diary  of 
many  summer  afternoons  of  184G,  is  simply  : 
"  July — ,  Monday  — ,  P.  M. — Domestic  nchool." 
These  words  are  all  the  vestige  that  he  has 
left  in  his  private  journal  of  the  interesting  fact 
that,  for  some  time  before  the  close  of  his  life,  he 
was  accustomed  to  receive  young  men  and 
women  into  his  family  to  instruct.  For  tliis  he 
never  received  any  money.  He  iurnished  them 
boarding  and  tuition  for  what  they  could  assist 
in  the  household  or  on  the  farm.  He  thus  fitted 
a  number  of  the  youth  of  his  congrcga'ion  and 
his  own  children  for  useful  lives.  That  ho  did 
what  he  could  in  this  work  is  not  probable.  Alas  I 
it  is  almost  certain  that  he  did  not.  To  us,  who 
see  how  eagerly  he  entered  into  every  means  to 
promote  the  intelligence  and  piety  of  his  congre- 


GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE.  253 

gations,  it  does  appear  surprising  that  he  suf- 
fered himself  to  be  discouraged  in  this;  for  it 
seems  thatwhen  he  first  entered  the  field  he  was 
accustomed  to  spend  his  winters  in  teaching.  His 
schools  were  made  up  by  subscription;  and  such 
was  his  interest  in  the  cause  of  education  that  in 
order  to  encourage  the  attendance  of  the  children 
and  youth,  he  would  engage  to  take  in  pay  for 
their  tuition  not  money  only,  but  a  pig,  or  calf, 
deer  skin,  or  tallow,  corn,  beeswax — anything, 
in  short,  that  he  might  but  start  them  in  ever  so 
limited  but  true  an  education.  After  Mr.  Shep- 
ard  came  he  gave  this  business  into  his  hands. 
But  that  he  contemplated  something  more  defi- 
nite in  the  way  of  Christian  education  seems  pro- 
bable from  the  fact  that  when  he  finished  his 
house  he  divided  a  part  of  it  into  small  rooms  for 
the  accommodation  of  students.  But  Mrs.  Bliss' 
death  and  his  subsequent  failing  health  appear 
to  have  intimidated  him.  ISTo  tangible  enterprise 
was  ever  actually  undertaken.  But  if  he  had 
but  resolutely  set  himself  to  educate  while  he 
missionated  in  those  early  times;  if,  when  noth- 
ing better  could  be  done,  he  had  made  the  "aged 
oaks"  that  nodded  over  his  house  his  "acad- 
emy," as  did  Dr.  John  McMillan,  at  first,  and 
taught  the  youth,  from  the  rustic  cottages  around, 
once  or  twice  a  day,  or  two  or  three  days  in  the 


254  GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE. 

week;  or  if  this  thorough  scholar  and  gentleman 
had  raised  a  parish  schoolhouse  hard  by  the  old 
white  meeting-house  in  1839,  no  one  can  estimate 
the  increased  good  that  his  quiet  life  had  accom- 
plished. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  this  potent  method  of 
laying  hold  upon  the  deepest  springs  of  society, 
for  the  purpose  of  purifying  and  sanctifying 
them,  is  generally  so  little  acted  on  by  our  domes- 
tic missionaries.  Every  minister  on  the  frontier 
by  furnishing  text  books  and  facilities  for  study 
to  the  more  thoughtful  and  aspiring  youth  of  his 
congregation,  would  often  immeasurably  pro- 
mote and  perpetuate  his  usefulness.  He  would 
sow  the  seeds  at  once  of  piety  and  mental  and 
social  progress.  This  was  the  practice  in  the 
days  of  the  illustrious  fathers.  Hard  by  the  rude 
parsonage  William  Tennent  built  a  ruder  school- 
house,  and  the  brightest  boys  in  the  neighbor- 
hood came  in  to  study  every  winter,  and  some  of 
them,  smitten  with  the  love  of  books,  lingered  all 
the  year  round.  This  is  but  the  old  story  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Doak,  of  Tennessee,  and  Dr.  John  Finley 
Crowe,  of  Hanover,  Indiana,  and  Dr.  McMillan, 
of  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  a  long  list  of  wor- 
thies, whose  names  and  influence  for  good  will 
never  perish  out  of  this  republic.  This  is  the 
secret  of  the  wondrous  power  while  living,  and 


GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE.  255 

the  blessed  memory  that  still  blossoms  in  beauty 
and  fragrance  in  all  Christian  lands  of  Columba, 
of  the  saintly  Isle  of  lona. 

If  our  home  missionaries,  eager  to  serve  their 
generation,  would  go  out,  with  Providence  for  their 
guide,  choose  their  field,  however  remote  or  ob- 
scure, and  then,  as  a  pp.rt  of  their  pastoral  work, 
open  a  rustic  school  and  invite  in  scholars,  "the 
wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  would,"  far 
sooner,  "be  glad  for  them,  and  they  see  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord  and  the  excellency  of  our 
God."     Isa.  XXXV.  1,  2. 

One  incident  must  .be  recorded  that  occurred 
in  these  days  of  the  gleaning.  Two  of  Mr.  Bliss' 
elders,  who  had  first  encouraged  him  to  enter  the 
ministry,  and  had  stood  by  him,  and  grown  old 
with  him  in  its  labors,  were  with  him  still — Dan- 
forth  and  Gould.  At  one  of  the  last  communions 
in  Wabash  Church,  when  they  all  met,  the  aged 
friends  were  together  in  the  silent  grove,  spend- 
ing the  afternoon  of  Saturday  in  holy  commun- 
ions with  one  another,  and  in  talking  over  the 
affairs  of  the  Church  and  the  interests  that  God 
had  committed  to  them.  With  them  was  a  youn- 
ger but  a  zealous  elder,  Charles  E.  McNair.  Their 
*'  hearts  burned  within "  them  as  the  hallowed 
interview  went  on.  "  I  promised  God,"  said  Mr. 
Danforth,  "  that  if  he  would  spare  my  life  and 


256  GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE. 

give  me  comfortable  success  in  temporal  things, 
that  I  would  build  a  house  of  worship  for  the 
glory  of  his  name,  in  the  neighborhood  where  I 
live.  And  now  I  am  getting  old,  and  I  have  not 
much  time  left  to  fulfill  my  vow.  What  I  am  to 
do  I  must  do  quickly."  And  so  the  solemn  vow 
was  divulged,  and  the  brethren  talked  the  matter 
over  tenderly.  Their  hearts  flowed  together. 
They  took  it  to  God  in  prayer,  praising  him  for 
the  love  that  he  had  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts 
for  his  cause  and  people,  asking  for  grace  and 
wisdom  to  fulfill  their  purpose.  Was  that  not  a 
noble  scene;  those  aged  men  knelt  together  in 
the  secret  pavilion  of  the  summer  woods,  com- 
muning with  God,  and  dedicating  themselves 
anew  and  forever  to  his  glory? 

So  the  Friendsville  Church  originated. 

To  this  glimpse  of  him  in  his  long  and  incur- 
able decline  will  be  subjoined  an  estimate  of  his 
character  and  labors  by  the  Eev.  Mr.  Lilly.  It 
is  very  valuable  as  coming  from  one  long  ac- 
quainted with  him,  and  a  close  and  acute  ob- 
server. I  here  record  my  sense  of  obligation  to 
this  ^gentleman  for  his  valuable  assistance,  and 
for  his  interest  in  the  object  of  my  labors.  All 
who  know  him  regret  that  he  did  not  seriously 
address  himself  to  the  task  assigned  him  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Palestine,  of  composing  a  history 


GLEANINGS  OF  THE  VINTAGE.  257 

of  the  ministers  and  churches  in  the  field  of  the 
Presbytery  from  the  commencement  of  Presby- 
terian missions  in  the  valley  of  the  Wabash 
Eiver.  The  work  would  have  been  done  with 
characteristic  ability,  simplicity,  and  historical 
sagacity. 


faal  Mm% 


(2S9^ 


PINAL  ESTIMATE.  261 


CHAPTER  XY. 

FINAL    ESTIMATE. 
Contributed  by  Rev.  R.  H.  Lilley,  A.  M. 

BAR  BRO.  BALDRIDGE— Saturday  was  the 
first  day  for  six  weeks  that  I  have  been  able 
to  sit  up  and  write  all  day.  You  have  the 
results.  At  night  I  felt  that  1  had  about  as 
much  to  say  about  Bro.  Bliss  as  I  had  in  the 
morning  when  I  began.  I  think  that  no  right 
view  of  Bro.  Bliss'  character  and  labors  can  be 
presented  that  leaves  out  of  view  the  fact  that, 
from  first  to  last,  his  lot  was  cast  among  people 
who,  for  the  most  part,  either  rejected  the  divin- 
ity and  atonement  of  Christ,  the  personality  and 
operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  God's  elec- 
tion of  his  people  to  salvation  and  their  final 
perseverance;  and  that,  as  a  wise  master-builder, 
God  used  him  to  gather  a  people  ordained  to 
good  works,  by  the  simple  presentation  of  the 
"truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  without  noise,  strife  or 
debate. 

I  met  Mr.  Bliss  for  the  first  time  in  the  early 


262  FINAL    ESTIMATE. 

part  of  l^ovember,  1839,  at  his  own  house  on 
Decker's  Prairie,  and  living  only  ten  or  twelve 
miles  off  for  several  years  afterward,  we  were 
sometimes  at  each  other's  houses  and  attended 
sacramental  meetings,  mutually  assisting  each 
other;  and  we  continued  to  meet  in  Presbytery 
so  long  as  he  was  able  to  attend.  Besides  his 
statements  respecting  his  past  life,  most  of  the 
facts  in  relation  to  his  history,  which  I  gathered 
at  different  times,  were  learned  from  Mr.  Cyrus 
Danforth,  Senr.,  Thomas  Gould,  Esq.,  Mr.  Win- 
ters, living  in  Palestine,  1845-50,  Thomas  Bu- 
chanan, Esq.,  of  jjawrence  County,  Rev.  Messrs- 
Isaac  Bennett  and  Josej^h  Butler,  and  Mr.  Samuel 
Bliss,  for  some  years  past  a  worthy  and  useful 
ruling  elder  m  the  Church  to  which  his  father 
preached  so  long.  Among  the  impressions  made 
on  my  mind  respecting  him  may  be  mentioned: 

1.  His  extreme  tenderness -of  affection.  Mrs. 
Bliss  had  been  over  two  years  dead;  but  when 
he  spoke  of  her  his  eyes  filled  up,  and  his  utter- 
ance almost  failed.  He  showed  me  the  little 
cabin  in  which  they  had  lived,  and  took  me  to 
the  thicket  of  sapplings  and  underbrush,  where 
she  had  been  buried.  The  sympathy  of  all  who 
knew  her  was  fully  extended  to  him  in  view  of 
the  great  loss  he  had  sustained.  I  do  not  think 
he  ever  recovered  wholly  from  the  shock  to  his 
feelings  occasioned  by  her  death. 


FINAL   ESTIMATE.  263 

2.  His  great  modesty.  After  he  was  licensed 
to  preacJi  he  went  over  and  attended  sacramental 
meetings  near  Yincennes,  held,  I  think,  by  Eev. 
Mr.  Scott.  After  a  time  or  two,  a  friend  who 
was  with  him,  made  it  known  that  he  was 
licensed,  and  he  was  called  out  to  take  part  in 
the  services.  But  I  do  not  think  he  at  any 
time  ever  did  anything  to  put  himself  forward, 
only  yielding  to  the  extreme  urgency  of  the  case, 
in  the  performance  of  public  services,  in  the 
presence  of  his  brethren,  at  the  meetings  of 
Presbytery  and  other  public  occasions. 

3.  I  always  considered  Bro.  Bliss'  natural  abil- 
ities above  that  which  God  has  seen  fit  to  be- 
stow on  the  generality  of  his  servants  in  the 
ministry  for  the  edification  of  the  Church.  But 
his  mental  powers  were  so  well  balanced,  blend- 
ed and  harmonized,  that  whilst  some  of  his  breth- 
ren may  have  excelled  him  in  particular  things, 
his  ministrations  were  freed  from  noticeable  de- 
fects that  belonged  to  the  services  which  most  of 
them  rendered  in  the  Master's  cause. 

4.  His  literary  education  was  good,  being  a 
graduate  of  Middlebury  College,  in  Vermont,  and- 
attaining,  as  I  think  I  have  heard,  to  the  first 
honors  of  his  class.  He  always  showed  in  his 
conversation  the  advantages  of  literary  culture, 
as  well  as  in  his  public  ministrations. 


264  FINAL   ESTIMATE. 

5.  His  perseverance  was  very  great.  His 
health  failing  in  the  East  whilst  prosecuting  his 
studies  for  the  ministry,  he  turned  Westward. 
What  influences  guided  his  choice  of  a  home,  or 
by  what  method  he  traveled  to  Illinois,  we  never 
learned.  But,  after  spending  a  year  or  two,  hav- 
ing built  his  cabin,  and  made  his  home  on  Deck- 
er's Prairie,  he  went  back  to  New  England  for 
his  wife,  a  Miss  Worcester,  belonging  to  a  family 
quite  distinguished  in  the  literary  and  theologi- 
cal world,  and  destined  herself  to  pre-eminent 
distinction  in  her  new  position.  Money  was 
scarce  then,  and  traveling  by  stage,  when  there 
was  one,  was  very  expensive,  so,  as  Mr.  Winters 
told  me,  he  walked  all  the  way  back  to  get  his 
wife.  Having  chosen  his  home,  and  entered  on 
the  work  given  him  of  God  to  accomplish  in  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  he  continued  to  walk  in 
the  same  path  to  the  day  of  his  death — to  labor, 
as  God  gave  him  strength,  in  the  same  work. 

6.  His  doctrine,  after  his  license,  was,  we 
think,  what  may  be  called  the  old-fashioned  New 
England  theology.  When  he  applied  for  license 
to  the  Hopkinton  Association  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, he  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  his 
views  of  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  were  erro- 
neous or  defective.  He  was  afterward  licensed  by 
the  Association,  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery 


FINAL    ESTIMATE.  265 

of  Salem,  if  I  have  been  rightly  informed.  With 
strong  predilections  for  ISTew  England  and  her 
institutions,  he  adhered  to  the  Old  School  in 
the  division  of  1837  and  1838,  but  always  re- 
tained an  unabated  attachment  to,  and  strong 
confidence  in,  our  New  School  brethren  of  his 
acquaintance.  And  to  the  day  of  his  death  the 
benefactions  of  his  people  to  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions was  made  mainly,  if  not  wholly,  through 
the  so  called  American  Institutions. 

7.  His  preaching.  To  the  great  mass  of  peo- 
ple his  manner  was  tame  and  unimpulsive.  With 
feeble  health,  fatigued  with  labor,  small  audi- 
ences, and  many  outward  discouragements,  in  the 
warm  days  of  summer,  speaking  to  men  not  very 
much  advanced  in  intellectual  culture,  we  see  on 
all  sides  some  reason  to  believe  the  complaint, 
that  he  could  not  always  keep  them  awake  dur- 
ing the  sermon.  The  matter  of  Mr.  Bliss'  ser- 
mons was  good,  more  the  result  of  his  own  med- 
itations on  divine  truth  than  the  presentation  of 
the  strong  points  of  systematic  or  controversial 
theology,  as  brought  out  by  others.  The  main 
charms  of  his  preaching  were  for  the  more 
pious,  intelligent  and  thoughtful  of  his  people. 
Without  feeling  at  the  time  that  there  was 
anything  of  special  weight  in  his  Sabbath  ser- 
mon,   during    the   week    their    thoughts     often 


266  PINAL    ESTIMATE. 

reverted  to  it;  it  dwelt  in  their  minds  ;  they 
talked  it  over  among  themselves;  gradually  their 
minds  v^ere  enlightened  in  the  truth;  their  af- 
fections were  enkindled,  and  their  resolutions  for 
-well-doing  were  strengthened  and  made  effcciive 
in  good  works,  adorning  the  doctrines  of  their 
Savior,  God.  His  preaching  was  thus  perma- 
nently effective  over  this  class  of  his  hearers, 
■who  always  found  food  for  their  souls  in  God's 
service.  In  Bro.  Bliss'  ministrations  God's  doc- 
trine might  be  said  to  drop  as  the  rain,  and  to 
distill  as  the  dew,  as  the  small  rain  on  the  ten- 
der herb,  and  as  the  showers  that  water  the 
earth. 

8.  His  great  kindness.  Mr.  Bliss'  manner 
never  failed  to  satisfy  his  brethren,  and  all  others 
engaged  in  good-doing,  that  he  was  their  most 
sincere  friend  and  ardent  well-wisher.  A  warm 
welcome  greeted  every  one  who  came  in  the 
name  of  Christ.  He  always  encouraged  the  set- 
tlement of  ministers  in  those  Churches  that 
sprang  u]3  in  parts  of  his  own  field,  and  rejoiced 
in  any  measure  of  liberality  shown  in  their  sup- 
port, and  gave  most  hearty  thanks  to  God  for 
every  token  of  divine  favor  granted  to  their  la- 
bors. More  than  twenty  years  ago  we  heard 
Judge  Constable,  in  a  public  address,  make  men- 
tion   of   the  patriarchal  hospitality  extended  to 


FINAL    ESTIMATE.  267 

him  as  a  lecturer  in  behalf  of  the  "Washingtonian 
temperance  principles  by  Bro.  Bliss,  and  he 
augured  good  success  to  the  scheme  from  the 
prayers  of  so  good  a  man.  Every  one  in  dark- 
ness and  doubt  had  an  adviser;  every  one  in  sor- 
row had  a  sympathizing  friend;  and  every  one 
laboring  in  a  good  cause  had  a  helper  and  well- 
wisher  in  Mr.  Bliss;  and  his  kind  manner  gave 
assurance  of  it  to  them  all. 

'  9.  His  extensive  usefulness.  That  he  was  use- 
ful, extensively  and  ijermanently  sa,  is  the  testi- 
mony of  all  God's  people  in  the  region  where 
his  lot  w^as  cast.  In  the  good  effected  we  are  led 
to  look  at  his  soundness  in  the  doctrines  of 
Christ  and  his  life-labors,  instant  in  season  and 
out  of  season,  to  preach  Jesus  Christ,  and  him 
crucified,  as  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of 
God  unto  salvation  to  all  his  believing  people. 
That  Bro.  Bliss  did  so  preach  Christ  in  his  min- 
istry; that  many  believed  on  him  to  salvation, 
was  testified  to  by  those  who  have  died  in  the 
faith  of  God's  elect,  and  is  witnessed  still  by  those 
w^bose  lives  adorn  the  holy  doctrines  of  their 
Savior  God  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness 
"the  things  ^that  accojnpany  salvation."  God 
has  ever  blessed,  and  ever  will  bless,  the  prayer- 
ful, patient,  faithful  preaching  of  his  own  word 
of  truth,  to  the  salvation  of  men.     But,  in  the 


268  FINAL    ESTIMATE. 

midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  geceration, 
where  the  tongue  of  heresy  could  contradict 
every  statement  of  truth  uttered,  God  had  an- 
other testimony.  He  enabled  Bro.  Bliss  not  only 
by  an  innocent  and  blameless  life,  but  by  the  re- 
sistless logic  of  a  sanctified  heart  and  holy  walk- 
ing, mightily  to  convince  the  gainsayers,  and  to 
show  to  all  the  exceeding  grealne&s  of  the  power 
at  work  in  the  saints  here,  that  being  made  holy, 
they  may  be  made  happy  in  heaven.  In  the 
great  conflict  waged  by  error  against  truth  on 
that  field,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  many  a  one  led 
away  from  the  hearing  of  the  truth,  by  the  loud 
and  confident  boastings  of  the  advocates  of  some 
'*  wind  of  doctrine,"  quietly  led  back  when  the 
mind  had  spent  its  force,  by  his  own  reflections 
on  Bro.  Bliss'  life  of  consistent  holiness,  who  was 
in  the  end  led  to  embrace  the  same  truth,  and 
strive,  in  his  measure,  after  the  same  power  of 
holiness. 

If  it  be  necessary  to  have  a  good  report  of 
them  that  are  without,  in  order  to  enter  the  min- 
istry, the  value  of  that  report  to  the  ministers, 
who  would  be  truly  useful,  continues  to  increase 
as  time  passes  on.  This  good  report  God  gave 
to  Bro.  Bliss  in  a  wonderful  manner.  Of  his  hon- 
esty, sincerity,  piety,  there  seemed  no  room  to 
doubt  among  those  who  trampled  under  foot  the 


FINAL    ESTIMATE.  269 

doctrines  of  Christ's  divinity,  the  personality  and 
work  of  the  Eternal  Spirit,  or  the  choosing  by 
God  of  all  his  people  through  faith  unto  a  most 
certain  and  glorious  eternal  life. 

10.  "What  shall  ^e  eat  and  what  shall  we 
drink,  and  wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed?"  is 
a  question  which  missionaries  in  the  West  have 
had  often  to  ask  with  anxiety,  and  which  Grod  has 
seen  fit  to  answer  in  a  great  variety  of  ways,  as 
they  have  been  called  to  use  different  means  to 
supply  their  wants.  As  to  Bro.  Bliss  we  have 
had  but  little  in  the  way  of  fact,  hint  or  conjec- 
ture. When  he  came  West  and  took  up  or  en- 
tered land  some  forty-five  or  forty  six  years  ago, 
and  made  improvements  on  it  before  his  marriage, 
it  seems  he  must  have  had  some  means  in  his 
hands.  Old  Mr.  Winters  said  that  Miss  Wor- 
cester's folks  were  well  off  ;  that  they  started 
back  in  a  wagon,  with  two  horses,  and  loaded 
with  such  good  things  as  they  should  need  out 
West.  This  all  seems  natural  enough  and  in 
harmony  with  the  subsequent  facts  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  family.  They  took  up  land,  made  im- 
provements, and  had  to  live,  when  Bro.  Bliss  was 
too  feeble  to  work  much,  and  his  wages,  as  a 
teacher,  must  have  been  small,  and  the  people  to 
whom  he  preached  too  poor  and  too  few  to  help 
him  much.     But  he  was  a  man  of  thrift  himself, 


270  FINAL    ESTIMATE, 

brought  up  among  a  people  industrious,  pains- 
taking and  economical,  and  knew  how  all  manner 
of  work  about  the  farm  or  house  ought  to  be 
done.  And  Mrs.  Bliss  left  a  name  for  industry, 
economy,  and  skillful  housewifery,  not  surpassed 
by  any  woman  that  ever  lived  in  that  part  of 
Illinois. 

The  case  then  takes  this  shape:  Their  little 
means  were  laid  out  in  lands  and  improvements, 
and  used  to  live  on  till  their  land  was  made 
available  by  cultivation;  and  that  then,  for  many 
years,  by  painstaking  care,  rigid  economy,  and 
hard  labor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  did  the  main  part 
toward  supporting  one  missionary,  who  was  not 
building  upon  another  man's  foundation,  or  tak- 
ing a  line  of  things  made  ready  to  his  hand,  but 
who  stretched  beyond  the  mission  stations  on  the 
Wabash,  westward  into  Illinois,  and  though 
weak  in  body,  was  strong  in  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  saints;  that  with  tears  went  forth 
sowing,  according  to  the  measure  of  his  strength, 
the  seed  of  God's  word,  and  who  was  allowed  of 
God  to  live  long  enough  to  see  some  precious 
sheaves  of  the  first  fruits  gathered  into  the 
garner. 

We  might  speak  of  the  extensive  hospitality  of 
Bro.  Bliss;  of  his  wisdom  as  a  counseler;  as  the 
ready  friend  of  all  that  glorified  God  in  the  way 


FINAL    ESTIMATE.  271 

of  elevating  the  human  race;  of  the  good  he  did 
among  his  neighbors  by  introducing  improve- 
ments in  agriculture,  and  allowing  them  to  use 
his  farm-tools  and  barn,  when  he  sometimes 
wished  they  were  well  enough  off  to  have  such 
things  themselves;  of  his  success  in  training  his 
children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord.  But  we  will  pass  all  these  things  and  in- 
dulge in  two  or  three  remarks. 

1.  Had  Bro.  Bliss,  in  view  of  a  hard,  unprom- 
ising field  of  labor,  not  yielding  him  a  sup- 
port, made  an  exchange,  removing  to  some  other 
jDlace  and  beginning  anew,  it  is  not  at  all  likely 
he  ever  would  have  done  one-quarter  of  the  good 
he  did  in  his  life,  or  at  his  death  have  left  a  name 
and  memory  so  refreshing  to  all  the  saints  of  God, 
and  an  influence  around  him  so  potent  for  good 
for  long  years  after  his  lamented  death.  He  staid 
and  cultivated  one  field  till  the  Master  called  him 
home. 

2.  A  great  deal  is"  said  in  our  day  about  the 
need  of  great  physical  stamina  in  men  called  to 
pioneer  missionary  stations,  and  a  capacity  to  en- 
dure hardness,  as  a  good  soldier  is  not  likely  to 
be  overestimated ;  but  God  does  sometimes 
choo«(e  men,  whose  bodily  presence  is  weak,  and 
use  that  chastened  weakness  to  soften  down  the 
asperities  of  men  in  uncultivated  rudeness  or  em- 


272  FINAL    ESTIMATE. 

bittered  opposition.  Bro.  Eliss  had  but  little 
strength,  yet  we  think  it  will  be  hard  to  find  any 
other  pioneer  missionary  who  left  a  name  of 
sweeter  savor,  or  of  stronger  influence  for  good 
in  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance. 

3.  Many  feel  now  that  no  missionary  can  teach, 
or  farm,  or  labor,  working  with  his  hands,  with- 
out degrading  his  office  or  impairing  his  useful- 
ness. But  God  may  put  a  man,  when  the 
strength  gained  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil, 
may  be  needed  to  perform  the  labor  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  show  that  in  gentle  moderation,  to  a 
mind  of  strongly  meditative  cast,  such  toil  may 
not  materially  interfere  with  the  "  getting  up  " 
of  a  sermon  for  the  Sabbath.  But  Bro.  Bliss 
may  have  had  to  labor  too  much  at  times,  but 
God  blessed  him  still  as  a  servant,  and  abundant- 
ly owned  his  work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love. 


(273> 


FAREWELLS.  275 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

FAREWELLS. 

A.  D.  1847. 

UT  the  end  wore  on  apace.  The  mortal  faint- 
\    ings  and  weaknesses  that  betoken  the  ex- 
haustion of  the  energies  of  life,  under  pul- 
monary diseases,  began  to  prevail   against 
him. 

For  years  he  had  abandoned  all  work  in  the 
fields,  his  leisure  hours  for  recreation  and  exer- 
cise being  spent  in  his  garden.  Here  he  might 
be  found  with  hoe,  or  rake,  or  water-pot  in  hand, 
during  all  the  season,  busily  employed,  with  the 
flush  of  a  gentle  interest  on  his  pale  face.  It 
may  be  esteemed  of  importance  by  some  readers 
to  know  that  this  spot  was  filled  with  a  noble  ar- 
ray of  culinary  vegetables  and  of  fruit-bearing 
shrubs,  such  as  the  currant  and  gooseberry,  all 
scrupulously  cultivated,  and  all  the  best  of  their 
kind,  but  that  not  one  idle  flower  was  suff'ered  in 
the  thrifty  paradise.  Potatoes,  beans,  etc.,  were 
not  to  be  displaced  under  his  hand  for  rose-tree 


276  FAREWELLS. 

tulips  and  mignonettes.  If  he  had  possessed  means 
to  lavish,  we  seriously  suppose  that  these  would 
have  remained  unthought  of.  The  practical  was 
all  he  coveted.  The  reader  will  remember  that  it 
was  said  that  Mr.  Bliss  was  not  distinguished  for 
imagination,  and  this  is  an  illustration.  He 
seems  to  have  had  no  "  pool  of  poetry  "  in  his 
nature. 

"  A  primrose  by  the  river's  brim, 
A  yeliow  primrose  was  to  him, 
And  it  was  nothing  more." 

But  a.  turnip  or  a  cantaloupe  was.  Do  you  think 
that  this  must  have  made  his  life  very  dull  and 
threadbare  ?    He  had  other  "  store  of  joys." 

As  the  autumn  of  1847  passed  he  felt  that  "his 
departure  was  near  at  hand."  With  perfect  com- 
posure he  arranged  his  worldly  affairs,  and  dis- 
posed of  all  his  property  by  a  will;  $100  was 
bequeathed  to  the  trustees  of  the  Church,  to  be 
paid  to  his  successor  in  the  pastoral  work,  in  an- 
nual installments. 

In  November  he  was  shut  up  in  his  chamber. 
First  the  fields,  then  the  garden,  and  now  the 
open  air  and  the  chilly  but  gorgeous  landscape 
were  deserted  and  withdrawn  from  the  world  ; 
the  rest  of  his  days  were  spent  in  the  hush  and 
contemplation  of  the  sick-room.  The  stream  of 
bis  busy,  quiet  life  was  now  fallen  into  a  silent 
pool,  where  it  must  soon  stagnate. 


FAREWELLS.  277 

*'  Tell  us  something  of  your  father's  last  days,"" 
is  often  asked  of  Mr.  BUbs'  children,  and  the 
simple  answer  uniformly  is,  "  There  was  nothing 
striking  nor  remarkable.  It  vr^s  all  so  quiet  and 
cheerful  that  it  was  more  i.l^o  a  preparation  for 
a  plesant  journey  than  anything  m.ore  solemn." 
His  chamber  was  a  place  to  which  his  devout 
friends  loved  to  resort,  and  he  conversed  freely 
when  his  failing  strength  permitted;  but  there 
was  nothing  angular,  odd  or  dazzling  in  his  re- 
marks to  fasten  them  in  the  memory.  All  was 
subdued,  devout  common  sense.  What  can  be  re- 
called after  the  lapse  of  twenty-three  years,  is 
chiefly  remarkable  for  its  wisdom  and  cheerful 
piety. 

"  The  chamber  where  the'good  man  meets  his  fate 
Is  privileged  above  the  common  walks  of  life, 
Quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven." 

And  such  was  this,  a  scene  of  unfeigned  faith 
and  living  hope.  With  a  ripe  and  ri^h  ex- 
perience in  a  full  age  he  was  coming  to  his  end, 
"  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in  his  season." 
Grrace  shone  in  his  presence  and  conversation. 
To  an  elder  he  said:  "I  lie  here  and  think  of 
God,  of  his  glory  and  grace,  and  anticipate  the 
time  when  I  shall  behold  "Him  as  he  is,"  until  I 
am  perfectly  exhausted  with  my  feelings,  and 
almost  ready  to  expire." 


278  FAREWELLS. 

Se  often  quoted  the  language  of  David:  "As 
for  me  I  shall  behold  his  face  in  righteousness; 
I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  in  Thy  like- 
ness;" and  then  would  add,  "  That  nothiDg  short 
of  this  would  satisfy — nothing  less  than  the  like- 
ness of  God;"  for  this  he  said  he  longed,  hunger- 
ed and  thirsted. 

''Often,"  says  his  son,  Samuel  Wood  Bliss, 
''  during  his  last  sickne3S  he  spoke  to  me  of  the 
pleasure,  the  privilege  and  the  necessity  oi pray- 
er;  and  once,  in  particular,  he  said  to  us  both, 
any  sister  and  myself,  '  If  you  would  ever  do  any 
good,  or  be  anything  more  than  common  profes- 
sors^ you  must  be  much  in  prayer — much  at  the 
throne  of  grace.'  " 

He  frequently  called  his  children  in  and  con- 
versed long  and  particularly  with  them  respect- 
ing the  duties  of  life  and  the  conduct  of  their 
worldly  business,  so  as  at  once  to  secure  the  ap- 
probation of  God  and  a  good  measure  of  success. 
Sometimes  when  the  interview  had  been  exclu- 
sively of  wordly  affairs,  at  the  closj  he  would 
mention  it,  and  say,  "  I  hope  you  will  not  think 
that  I  estimate  thesn  things  very  highly.  I  do 
not;  but  they  have  th.-ir  importance." 

He  often  repeated,  sv:. h  great  satisfaction,  pas- 
.sages  of  the  hymn,  entitled  '*  All  is  well." 


FARE-WELLS.  279 

"  What's  this  that  steals  upon  my  frame? 
Is  it  death? 
That  soon  will  quench  this  vital  flame? 
Is  it  death? 

"  If  this  be  death  I  soon  shall  be 
From  every  pain  and  sorrow  free  ; 
I  shall  the  King  of  glory  see: 
All  is  well,  all  is  well ! 


"  There's  not  a  cloud  that  doth  arise, 
To  hide  my  Savior  from  my  eyes. 
I  soon  shall  mount  above  the  skies: 
All  is  well,  all  is  well !" 

His  sonl  must  have  triumphed  to  be  in  har- 
mony with  these  exultant  sentiments.  It  gave 
him  particular  pleasure  when  any  one  came  in 
-who  could  sing  the  hymn.  He  could  not  sing 
himself,  this  cheerful  gift  had  been  denied  him, 
but  his  soul  was  refreshed  by  the  inspiring  lay. 
He  often  answered  to  those  who  inquired  con- 
cerning his  condition,  with  this  buoyant  refrain, 
*'A11  is  well." 

Toward  the  last  he  remarked  to  one — I  sup- 
pose Mrs.  D.,  "  I  am  passing  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death;  but  where  is  the  dark- 
ness?" 

At  length  the  communion  meeting,  generally 


280  FAREWELLS. 

'celebrated  in  midwinter  in  Wabash  Churcb 
opened.  Mr.  Butler  was  present  to  conduct  it. 
The  interest,  the  excitement  of  the  sacred  occa- 
sion, could  not  but  reach  him  in  his  seclusion 
and  tell  on  his  sensitive  nerves.  On  Sabbath 
Mr.  Bennet  was  present,  and  the  meeting  was 
peculiarly  tender  and  solemn.  All  day  the 
people  knew  that  their  faithful  pastor  and  friend 
was  sinking.  In  the  afternoon,  one  standing  by 
his  bedside,  put  his  hand  under  the  covers  and 
felt  his  feet.  Mr.  Bliss  noticed  it  and  ques- 
tioned him.  "  They  are  cold,"  was  the  subdued 
answer.  "  That  is  favorable,"  was  the  immediate 
response,  with  a  gentle  smile. 

Once,  during  the  night,  he  was  heard  to 
breathe  the  words,  "  Farewell,  my  children,  my 
friends,  and  wicked  world!" 

On  Monday  morning  there  had  not  been  time 
for  the  family  to  finish  the  morning  meal  and 
gather  in  their  father's  room  for  the  accustomed 
prayers,  when  his  summons  came.  The  sun  was 
just  risen  upon  the  earth  when  this  holy  man 
of  God  quietly,  sweetly,  as  "  God  giveth  bis  be- 
loved sleep,"  entered  into  his  "  everlasting  rest." 

Thus  his  "longings"  were  satisfied. 


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